Modern Story
by IceDragoness1
Summary: <html><head></head>A modern story for modern times. Glorfindel never sailed to Valinor. A trip taken out of boredom finds Glorfindel meeting the biggest female challenge of his life! Rated M for adult scenes and language. Glorfindel/OC romance.</html>
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer**_

_**This story is fictional and I don't own anyone except Glorfindel who is locked up in my closet. Ok, well not Glorfindel either. But I do own the McKenzie twins, all of their horses and anyone else that is fictional in this story.**_

_**The story does not follow canon at all. I'm sure Tolkien would roll over in his grave at some of the things I have them doing. But as this is my modern story I'm having fairly modern standards as well. This will also end up with a Glorfindel love story, there aren't enough of them around so I felt the need to make my own. It is rated M for a good reason. There is swearing and some sexy scenes in it later on. So reader's discretion is advised. **_

_**I write this story in the little free time I have which is usually late at night. I do proof read but please be gentle with me if I do miss something!**_

_**So onto the story and enjoy.**_

The dark bar was alive with the usual noise that came with the nightlife scene. The music was playing loud enough to make people shout over it, yet still soft enough to carry on a conversation. The clinking of glasses as people consumed excessive amounts of alcohol. The sweat and glimpses of bare skin as couples danced on the make shift dance floor, their intentions obvious. To find someone to spend the night with while showing even more bare skin and sweating in larger amounts.

At the bar Glorfindel sat alone, nursing a glass of straight whiskey while taking in the sights. In the years since the Fourth age of Men, things had surely changed. The elegance of balls while at the court of Elessar was nothing now but legends turned into books and later on movies. Through the ages the once stunning and elegant ball gowns had turned into garments which once would have classified as undergarments. The fine art of courting a lady was nothing more than now getting her drunk and having a one night stand.

Hobbits had grown into normal size men. The elves that had stayed behind after the last ships had sailed were scattered over the world. Their numbers few and far between, yet most of them led human lives. Although rare, it was still very easy to spot a half Elven offspring that walked the world. And while the Elven numbers left in the world were very tiny most did keep connections with other Elves.

And yet here Glorfindel was. Sitting in the bar it Kentucky in the year 2010 wishing he was anywhere else but here. Taking a sip of whiskey Glorfindel surveyed the room with boredom. It was nights like this he regretted his choice of staying behind all those centuries ago. He had seen the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. Kings and Queens of Europe reign in golden years and in bloodshed. The Crusades and the countless blood split in them. New lands being discovered and settled with the promise of new beginnings for its settlers which had more often than not ended in another War. The age of machinery and weapons going from swords to high tech aircraft that could kill a target from miles away. Yes Glorfindel had seen a lot over the ages. Yet Elladan had still managed to drag him all the way to the USA for a horse competition to catch a brief glimpse of the past from a Millennia ago.

Glorfindel almost snorted at the thought. Elladan, always the most outgoing had discovered the link between high level competition horses and the Elven horse bloodlines. Over the years he had spent countless money through various companies purchasing a lot of those horses. His purchases were both for profit and his own breeding purposes. Elladan has been determined to make the Elven bloodlines strong yet again. Glorfindel had nearly not come until Elladan showed him a horse that was a spitting image of Asfaloth, ridden by an Australian rider that would be at the competition. Curiosity and boredom both got the better of him and he had let Elladan drag him along with him. Glorfindel had even given in and let Elladan fly his private jet over.

Boredom was a feeling Glorfindel knew all too well. Over the years he had accumulated such a wealth that there was nothing that wasn't open to him. Cars, houses, women, exotic and rare pieces of history, he had everything he wanted that money could buy. The only thing he couldn't buy was his own happiness. Items that could be bought were amusing and bought fleeting glimpses of happiness, but Glorfindel still felt the empty ache of not being fully satisfied. He had women so easily in his life; his wealth and good looks managed to bring them in hoards if he so wished. Yet none had stayed and he had not found anyone who he would want to stay in his life either.

Glorfindel took another sip of his whiskey, savouring the liquid as it slid down his throat. Elladan has promised to meet him half an hour ago at this bar. Yet there was no sign of him anywhere. As much as Glorfindel hated to admit it, the twins still tried his patience as much of today as they did when they were Elflings. The temptation to leave was there but glancing at his watch, Glorfindel vowed to stay just another 30 minutes. It was easier to wait than to hear Elladan's latest story as to why he was so late, especially since it always nearly involved a detour with a woman.

The music stopped and the lights dimmed in the entire bar. The stage was suddenly alight and 2 people had stepped onto it. Although their faces silhouetted by the stage lights it was easy to pick out it was a male and female on the stage. The female was tall and slender, as tall as the male next to her but he was very obviously powerfully built without being overly bulky. The female adjusted the microphone and tapped it twice to get the crowd's attention.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen! We are tonight's entertainment, bought to you all the way from Australia. We are CopyCat" the thick Australian accent ran over the crowd. Whistles and cheers came from the dance floor. As the lights dimmed Glorfindel got a good look at the 2 faces on stage. He started slightly in his chair as he looked at them both. On stage in front of him 2 people with obvious Elven features. They were not full Elves but Glorfindel guessed that they had one parent that was an Elf. He smiled slightly, it was a long time since he had seen any sign of other Elves and the 2 young people on stage were certainly a breath of fresh air.

The female had shoulder length red hair with blonde streaks through it. It framed her delicate facial features with her large brown eyes. Yet her facial features were the only thing delicate about her. It was obvious on her lithe frame that it was all muscle on her. She looked beautiful, yet deadly at the same time. Glorfindel's interest was instantly captured in her. She was beautiful, yet the lack of makeup and simple but sexy clothes revealed more than words could. She was not the type of woman Glorfindel was used to. The type who spent more time and money on their looks and clothes than he was sure was the annual salary for some people. This woman was naturally beautiful and yet didn't seem to care about it.

The male was strongly built but carried it was Elven lithe and grace. He reminded Glorfindel of the old Warden's of Lothlorien. He was as dark as the woman was fair. His handsome face framed by messy black hair and intelligent green eyes scanned the ground, occasionally winking to a pretty girl in the crown.

"Fascinating aren't they?" a voice beside Glorfindel made him start slightly. He had been so engrossed at the 2 on stage he didn't even notice that Elladan has sat beside him.

"Yes quite, who are they?" Glorfindel asked.

"The McKenzie twins, both riders on the Australian Equestrian team and both of them doing 2 disciplines which is nearly unheard of at competitions at this level and no I have no idea who their parents the records of them are scrubbed squeaky clean" Elladan said with a frown. He waved the bartender over for a drink and sat back in his chair. Glorfindel smirked slightly, it took a lot to baffle Elladan and the fact he was unable to trace anything on these two must have been such a frustration for him. Elladan took a long drink of the beer he ordered and continued speaking.

"The female is Lightning, and yes that is her real name that I'm sure of and the male is Callen. From what I know they're parents are huge time racehorse trainers in Australia but they're both adopted so I have no clue of their real parents except that one of them is very obviously Elven."

Elladan was still frowning as he took another drink.

"So I take it the reason you wanted me here is to help you sort out who their real parents are?" Glorfindel tried very hard to keep the smirk out of his tone as he watched the twins on stage.

"Quite simple, yes" Elladan admitted begrudgingly "However I thought you'd also find it fascinating that Lightning rides that grey stallion I showed you who is a spitting image of Asfaloth."

Glorfindel raised an eyebrow in surprise, however held back his comments as Lightning had signalled for the music to start. An upbeat tune with heavy bass starting from the speakers. The crowd started to whistle and cheer in appreciation.

_You're so hypnotizing  
>Could you be the devil<br>Could you be an angel_

_Your touch magnetizing  
>Feels like I am floating<br>Leaves my body glowing_

_They say be afraid  
>You're not like the others<br>Futuristic lover  
>Different DNA<br>They don't understand you_

_Your from a whole other world  
>A different dimension<br>You open my eyes  
>And I'm ready to go<br>Lead me into the light_

_Kiss me, ki-ki-kiss me  
>Infect me with your love and<br>Fill me with your poison_

_Take me, ta-ta-take me  
>Wanna be a victim<br>Ready for abduction_

_Boy, you're an alien  
>Your touch are foreign<br>It's supernatural  
>Extraterrestrial<em>

Glorfindel turned to Elladan in surprise and was met with a grin from the younger Elf. Not only did she have an amazing voice, she could nearly copy the actual artist singing the song. The duo had picked their band name extremely well.

_Your so supersonic  
>Wanna feel your powers<br>Stun me with your lasers  
>Your kiss is cosmic<br>Every move is magic_

_Your from a whole other world  
>A different dimension<br>You open my eyes_

_And I'm ready to go  
>Lead me into the light<em>

_Kiss me, ki-ki-kiss me  
>Infect me with your love and<br>Fill me with your poison_

_Take me, ta-ta-take me  
>Wanna be a victim<br>Ready for abduction_

_Boy, you're an alien  
>Your touch are foreign<br>It's supernatural  
>Extraterrestrial<em>

_There is this transcendental  
>On another level<br>Boy, you're my lucky star_

_I wanna walk on your wave length  
>And be there when you vibrate<br>For you I'll risk it all  
>All<em>

"I first heard them sing when I was in Australia last year at a local club when I was attending one of the bigger dressage competitions down there" Elladan was talking louder over the last of the song "That's when I got very curious to who they exactly were and I've been trying to find out more about them ever since. Brilliant riders, both of them, they should both make the next Olympics."

The song has finished by the time Elladan had finished speaking. The crowd was cheering enthusiastically while Lightning had taken a bow with a large smile on her face.

"Why thank you everyone, it's great to know we're appreciated here as much as we are at home, now who wants to hear my brother sing?" Lightning was out of breath on the microphone but still smiling. The crowd cheered louder as Callen adjusted his microphone.

"Now this song is for all the beautiful ladies out there" Callen's smooth voice rang out over the crowd as the music started to play. The sweet sounds of a guitar melody started to play.

_This time, this place  
>Misused, mistakes<br>Too long, too late  
>Who was I to make you wait?<br>Just one chance, just one breath  
>Just in case there's just one left<br>Cause you know  
>You know, you know<em>

_That I love you, I have loved you all along  
>And I miss you, been far away for far too long<br>I keep dreaming you'll be with me and you'll never go  
>Stop breathing if I don't see you anymore<em>

"Why wasn't I blessed with such a smooth singing voice, it's no wonder he has a reputation for being a heart breaker" Elladan said almost wishfully.

"Because if I recall you and your brother spent more time trying to avoid all of your lessons than actually attending them" Glorfindel laughed.

"True" Elladan chuckled and continued to watch.

_One my knees, I'll ask  
>Last chance for one last dance<br>Cause with you I'd withstand  
>All of it to hold your hand<em>

_I'd give it all, I'd give for us  
>Give anything but I won't give up<br>Cause you know  
>You know, you know<em>

_That I love you, I have loved you all along  
>And I miss you, been far away for far too long<br>I keep dreaming you'll be with me and you'll never go  
>Stop breathing if I don't see you anymore<em>

_So far away, been far away for far too long  
>So far away, been far away for far too long<br>But you know  
>You know, you know<em>

_I wanted  
>I wanted you to stay<br>Cause I needed  
>I need to hear you say<em>

_I love you, I have loved you all along  
>And I forgive you for being away for far too long<br>So keep breathing cause I'm not leaving you anymore  
>Believe it, hold on to me, never let me go<em>

_Keep breathing cause I'm not leaving you anymore  
>Believe it, hold on to me, never let me go<br>Hold on to me, never let me go  
>Hold on to me, never let me go<em>

By the end of the song Glorfindel was sure there wasn't a female in the audience that wasn't plotting to try and get the handsome singer into bed that night. And he was sure Callen was also scanning the crowd to pick out his partner to spend the night with.

"We need more drinks" Elladan announced as he signalled the bartender over once more "A lot more drinks."

A bottle of whiskey later Glorfindel was well and truly feeling the effects of the strong alcohol. It was close to midnight and the twins had just wrapped up their last song and were saying their thanks to the crowd. The more he had drunk the more intrigued Glorfindel felt towards Lightning. Full of alcohol and bravado bought on by the alcohol as soon as the twins had left the stage he marched straight up to Lightning. She had gone to the bar and was smiling and fanning her face. Glorfindel couldn't hear what she was saying over the dim noise of the room. By the time he had got to her the bartender was putting the drinks on the counter and Lightning was getting money out of her pants.

"I'll get that, and add a whiskey onto it" Glorfindel flashed a charming smile to Lightning. He knew the game of seduction all too well. Instead of the usual response from women, the smile or embarrassed giggle they usually did. Glorfindel was met with a raised eyebrow and slightly hostile stare.

"Thank you but no, I can pay for myself" the smile was one of forced politeness.

Glorfindel was taken aback by the very obvious brush off. He couldn't remember the last time he had been turned down in such an obvious way. As a matter of fact he couldn't remember ever being turned down.

"And that's for the gentleman's whiskey as well" Lightning handed over extra money and gathered her drinks. She looked over her shoulder at Glorfindel "Nice try, but good night."

Glorfindel watched completely dumbstruck as she walked away towards her brother. She spoke to him briefly and then left the bar. Glorfindel felt a slap on his back and heard Elladan laughing loudly.

"I like her" he was grinning madly as he walked away.

Glorfindel shook his head and followed Elladan. The brush off had made him even more determined to get to know the mysterious woman.

"Come on lets go, we have an early start in the morning "Elladan called over his shoulder flashing the keys to his rental car. Glorfindel shook his head and followed. Tomorrow would be another day and another start to try and put some pieces of the puzzle together.

Authors Note

First chapter all done. I hope everyone has enjoyed it so far. The songs were E.T by Katy Perry and Far Away by Nickleback.


	2. Chapter 2

Lightning yawned as she balanced on her haunches while undoing the bandages on the horse's legs. It was 5am, she had felt like she'd barely slept last night after the gig and then having to listen to her brother's commotion next door from the pretty blonde he bought home from the bar. She really had to invest in some earplugs. Nerves churned in her stomach as she tried to push the day out of her mind.

She was at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky. Not only had she made the team for 3 day eventing, she had also managed to make the team in dressage as well. It was unheard of to be able to do both. Yet here she was unwrapped her eventing horse's legs getting ready for the dressage phase of the 3 day eventing.

The stocky chestnut stallion was eating his breakfast calmly. Not paying any attention to the commotion outside. And there was a huge commotion. Horses were being walked, grooms were running back and forth getting prepared for the day ahead, people were shouting and horses were calling out. Every so often you'd hear a string of swearing, in many languages, as someone either forgot something or the horse was misbehaving.

Lightning sighed and threw the unwrapped bandages aside. Not only was this one of the biggest competitions of her life it also had the potential to turn into saddest moment of her life. Both her horses, which she had trained from scratch, were up for sale. As much as she had put it off she couldn't put it off any longer. Her now ex husband has split off their marriage only after 6 months and had run off with another woman. The divorce papers had come through only 3 weeks before the World Equestrian Games and the horses were part of it. Her ex husband knew her property was in her brother's name so went after the only things that were hers alone. And that was her 2 best horses that were now worth quite a sum of money.

Lightning was flat broke. She had spent every last cent she had to campaign her horses to this event. There was no way she could afford to pay out her ex husband for what her stallions were worth. She was distant from her parents and would have refused their help even if they had offered it. And she knew her brother was in the same boat money wise as she was. He too had spent every cent of money he made into campaigning his horses towards the event. It was the reason they had both been performing at the bar last night. Although most of their expenses were paid for by the national body for Equestrian, just having some kind of spending money was a welcome relief.

"I come bearing coffee" the cheerful voice of her brother arrived at the door. The smell of coffee was strong in the air, a welcome smell for such an early time in the morning. Sure enough there was Callen leaning over the stable door with 2 large Styrofoam cups.

"Thanks" Lightning said, getting up and brushing the shavings off. She took the offered coffee and took a huge drink, savouring in the caffine. Leaning against the wall she rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"Stop thinking about it" Callen scolded her lightly "It's not going to help the matter, unless you let me go kill the scumbag."

Lightning snorted in her coffee cup but didn't reply. She knew he was right.

"I can't let you go to jail, I've got too many horses at home to look after" she joked and quickly ducked the playful slap she knew that was coming.

"Just stop thinking about it then, you have a dressage test to win" Callen said "You know that Yarry is in top form and the only thing holding him back today is you."

"Yeah thanks, let me give you that pep talk tomorrow when you're on in the dressage" Lightning grumbled and set her coffee cup down. She felt a bit lost for what to do at the moment. She didn't compete for another 4 hours which gave her nearly 3 hours to spare. All the horses were fed, brushed and already had their morning walk before breakfast. Unlike all the other competitors, neither her nor her brother had a groom so they did everything themselves. The other horses wouldn't get worked until late in the afternoon so there was plenty of time to spare.

"Why don't we go and watch all the naughty horses warm up and then it can make you feel better none of our boys need to be worked for 3 hours just so they don't explode in the ring" Callen asked opening the stable door. It was more of a demand rather than a request so Lightning obediently followed, feeling too emotionally drained to argue. She hated the emotional rollercoaster ride she was still on. It wasn't helped by the fact she was smacking herself the entire way back to her room last night for turning down the extremely handsome blonde that hit on her last night. Not only did she turn him down but was also extremely rude to him.

'Well done Lightning, the first man to crack onto you in months and you turn him down' Lightning mentally slapped herself again for her mistake last night. She was well and truly past the heart broken stage of grief after her husband left. Now she just felt angry and wanted to do something towards moving on from him. The divorce settlement had only fuelled that anger.

Lightning and Callen walked in silence down the barn and into the cool but sunny morning. Outside was teeming with activity as it was inside. The twin's nodded greetings to everyone they knew as they went past and stopped to briefly talk to those who weren't too busy. Once they reached the warm up area's they found a quiet spot under a tree and sat down in silence.

Lightning watched in envy at the rider's going past that was fully equipped in the latest new saddlery and riding gear. Sponsor logos were everywhere on both horse and rider. Lightning had her eye on a brand new saddle for a long time, however the funds just weren't there to purchase one. Everytime a rider who had the saddle went past Lightning almost felt green with envy. Although neat and tidy, both Callen's and Lightning's gear was old and well worn. Lightning had almost felt old fashioned when she was asked to supply her horse's diets. Everyone had turned to look at her in surprise when she asked for plain oats, corn and hay while blushing furiously. Everyone else on the team had fairly high detailed and extensive diets for their horses. Not to mention the other rider's support teams that ranged from having a personal physiotherapist for both horse and rider to another rider having a personal animal psychic on call for her horse.

"What are you thinking about?" Callen's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Nothing interesting, I was just thinking of everyone's reaction when we told them all we fed was oats, corn and hay" Lightning smiled slightly "Oh and the fact I felt like a complete idiot when I forgot to mention the fact we do actually feed electrolytes."

Callen chuckled slightly "Well I think it was even better when we got asked who our farrier was and I told them that I did all of the shoeing."

Lightning's smile widened "Yeah that was a classic, good thing Dad taught one of us how to shoe otherwise we'd be in trouble."

"Yeah it was" Callen replied "I feel so old fashioned sometimes, but look at Mum and Dad they're so successful with both the gallopers and pacers and they don't do anything fancy."

"Very true" Lightning shrugged and cut off the conversation. There had been a major falling out between her and her mother just after her wedding. The wounds still stung about the hurtful words thrown around. What had stung more that the falling out was over Lightning's ex husband and her mother had been right all along about it.

"Oh look we have a bucker" Callen chuckled as one of the horses in the warm up ring had suddenly begun to buck furiously. Lightning winced as the rider hit the dirt hard after the third buck. The scream from the rider could surely be heard back at the stables. Suddenly the warm up area was alight with more people rushing to the rider's aid. Hoof beats echoed throughout the space as the bucking horse was now free from its rider and was taking full advantage of the fact. It kept bucking with obvious glee, completely unaware of the problems it was causing.

"Okay I think I've seen enough carnage here" Lightning got up and brushed herself off. The last thing she wanted to have were images of her getting bucked off in the middle of her dressage test. The nervous butterflies in her stomach seemed to multiply again and Lightning felt nauseous. Taking deep breaths Lightning hurried back to the stable to occupy herself with something to take her mind off things. Callen followed her closely behind but at a slower pace.

"I'm going to go get changed" Lightning called back to her brother as they reached the stable. He nodded in acknowledgement as Lightning hurried away. She headed to the ladies room ignoring the confused looks people were throwing her. Once she got there, threw herself into the toilet and locked the door. Sinking down onto her knee's Lightning threw up the small contents of her stomach. Trembling badly Lightning lent her head against the toilet bowl and felt overwhelmed. This was meant to be one of the happiest moments in her life and all she could think of was how to hold back the tears that were threatening.

It wasn't just the fact she had to sell her 2 best horses. It was the fact that she felt so out of place here. On the outside Lightning knew she came across as an arrogant bitch and there for didn't make any friends with the other riders. She couldn't even recall having a conversation with any of her team mates. All of them had been in the industry for years with many success' and a huge backing of owners, not to mention a string of national and international success under their belts. It was also the fact she felt as if everyone looked down on her because she had been a no one in the Equestrian world. She was just the daughter of 2 big racehorse trainers who had managed to find 2 exceptional horses and be able to fumble her way through to training them to the top. At least Callen had made friends with everyone else on the team. He was naturally cool and confident all the time. He was joke easily and make people laugh. What's more he didn't care about what other people thought of him.

"Lightning are you in here?" a soft voice called out. Lightning lifted her head as she recognized that voice. It was one of the girls on the eventing team, Megan. She had been one of the team members that Lightning actually liked, but was far too shy and unconfident to make conversation with her.

"Yeah I'm just throwing up my breakfast" Lightning called back. Sighing she got up and flushed the toilet. Wiping her eyes she hoped they weren't too red and blotchy as it'd be a dead giveaway she had been crying.

"Don't worry I did the same earlier, I don't even think Heath made it to the toilet when he threw up this morning" Megan said weakly "To tell the truth I'm pretty terrified. Anyway your brother is looking for you, there's someone who wants to talk to you about Yarry."

A flitter of surprise came over Lightning. This was the first time she'd had any interaction with any of her team mates.

"Thanks" Lightning closed her eyes and sighed. She knew she had to do this but it was so hard. Gritting her teeth Lightning pushed opened the toilet door and gritted her teeth. Washing her hands she forced herself to swallow down the lump in her throat that was forming. If her horse Yarraman sold for the price she needed at least she had a slight chance of being able to keep her dressage stallion, Snowy.

Walking back down the stable aisle Lightning forced a smile on her face and hoped it didn't look too fake. Although the more she forced the smile, the more fake it became. Exhaling softly she decided to adopt what she hoped was a fairly neutral expression. Her stable came into view and she saw the back of a stranger with messy dark hair. He appeared to be totally relaxed and so did her brother who was leaning against the stable door smiling with total ease. Lightning felt yet another pang of jealously. She envied her brother for his natural ease even in the more dire circumstances.

"Ah Lightning there you are, Daniel may I introduce to you my sister Lightning who owns and trains Yarraman?" Callen was still smiling. Before the stranger turned around Lightning shot Callen a questioning look, her only response was a big wink.

"Pleased to meet you at last" Elladan turned around and extended his hand towards Lightning "I've been following your progress for quite awhile, I'm Daniel Pedril."

"The pleasure is all mine" Lightning smiled and shook his hand "What can I do for you Mr Pedril?"

"I've heard that both your horses are for sale and I came around to make an offer for both of them" Elladan cut straight to the point. With every word he could see Lightning's face almost falling while she struggled to gain her composure.

"Of course, it's well known their both for sale all their recent x-rays are here and vet reports..." Lightning started but Elladan quickly cut her off.

"I know I've already taken the liberty of looking at them, and I know you haven't advertised a price on them so this is my offer" Elladan handed over a piece of paper with the offered price. He had dug around exactly enough to know how much money he'd need to spend to secure the horses. His offer price way far more than he knew what she wanted for the horses.

Lightning's jaw nearly hit the floor when she read the offered amount on the piece of paper. It was the amount she wanted for nearly both of the horses.

"Mr Pedril I..." Lightning started but Elladan quickly cut her off again.

"I failed to mention the offer is for each horse, not both of them" Elladan flashed a charming smile. "And please call me Dan, I feel old when I get referred to as Mr Pedril."

Lightning was staring at him wide eyed in disbelief. She wordlessly handed the piece of paper over to her brother. Callen's eyebrows shot through the roof and he mouthed the words 'Take it' to her.

"Dan I'm sorry you've caught me a bit off guard" Lightning smiled shakily trying to gain her composure "Surely you want to negotiate? That's a lot of money you're offering."

"No I don't want t negotiate, I've followed you on both horses since they were at One Star level and Prix St George respectively, my offer stands" Elladan said firmly but kindly.

"Take the damn money Lightning" Elladan heard Callen say softly under his breath. Still Lightning stood there with her bottom lip starting to tremble as the conversation was sinking in. The money was more than enough to pay her ex out, buy a new truck, improve the facilities at home and still have enough to purchase some nice younger horse's to bring on.

"Thank you very much for the offer" Lightning began and had to swallow to get the lump out of her throat before she continued "And I accept it."

Tears began to prickle at her eyes as she hastily blinked them away. As much as she needed to do this her heart felt like it was being ripped in 2 by the thought of selling her boys.

Elladan held out his hand to shake it. Lightning weakly returned the shake and regained her composure slightly.  
>"I hate to be rude, but can I ask who will be taking them over? I really need to talk to them as they both have a few little strange habits."<p>

"You may ask and you won't need to tell them as they already know their strange little habits" Elladan couldn't help but grin, he was saving the best for last. "They'll be staying with you, I would never break up such a wonderful partnership."

Even his Elven reflexes barely had time to register before he found himself being hugged strongly. He staggered slightly before returning the hug.

"You're welcome" he laughed.

"I'm so sorry" Lightning blushed and quickly pulled herself away from the embrace "I had resigned myself to not having them after this."

"Please don't be sorry it's not every day where a beautiful women throws herself at me" Elladan laughed causing Lightning to blush.

"I'm sorry to break this up" Callen was smiling "But Lightning you have a dressage test to warm up for."

"Of course" Elladan stepped back with a small nod of his head "If you'd both be so kind to join me for dinner tonight, this is my card."  
>Callen took the card from Elladan and gave Lightning a gentle shove towards the direction of Yarraman's stall.<p>

"I'll ring to organise it later, I hope you enjoy the dressage on your new horse" Callen offered his hand to Elladan who took it and shook it firmly.

"My pleasure."

And with that Elladan strode down the aisle with a smug smile on his face. Not only had he secured some of the last of the Elven bloodlines, he knew he had also pulled the twins out of some serious financial problems. The equestrian world was a small one and it was easy to find out what gossip was actually true.

As he reached the end of the aisle Glorfindel stepped out of the shadows and fell in step with him.

"So how much did that half share in those horses just cost me?" Glorfindel grumbled in a good natured way. Elladan had explained the plan last night on the way home from the bar. Elladan's interest had been in the horses and Glorfindel's had simply been in Lightning and her alone. Never before had he felt such a strong pull towards a woman. The pull itself was fascinating, let alone the excitement of a chase that was about to come.

"Half a million dollars and trust me, you'll thank me for it" Elladan gave a feral grin.

**Authors Note**

Well here's the second chapter. I hope everyone enjoys it. At the rate I'm writing the next chapter should actually be up within the next 72 hours. Enjoy!


	3. Chapter 3

Lightning straightened her top hat for the 100th time in the last minute. The amazing happy high she has been riding on for the last few hours had now given way to nerves settling in. The butterflies were tap dancing in her stomach at the rate of 100 miles an hour.

"Stop fidgeting" grumbled the body next to her.

Lightning half grinned as she glanced down at the national eventing coach. Lightning was the first rider on for the Australian team and the coach was looking as nervous as she felt. He had been chain smoking nonstop for the last 5 minutes.

The rider before Lightning was coming down the centreline of the dressage arena to their final halt. She blew out a breath and tightened her hold on the reins momentarily. The solid chestnut stallion under her shifted slightly before going back to his relaxed pose. Yarraman was ever the steady rock of a horse. He was never one to misbehave, during his career he had never refused a jump and gave 100 perfect every single time.

"It's now and never Miss McKenzie" her coach grumbled lightning up yet another cigarette "Just do what you've been doing back home for the last 2 years and you'll be fine."  
>He awkwardly patted her leg and Lightning let out the breath she didn't realise she had been holding. Gathering her reins she gave a tight nod and squeezed Yarraman lightly with her legs. The chestnut stallion obediently walked forward calmly without any hesitation. Lightning gulped as she came into view of the main arena. The rider before her rode past and gave a wavering good luck smile.<p>

Lightning felt better momentarily. The rider who just went past her was one of the top ranked riders in the world. If he showed signs of being nervous then surely her butterflies in her stomach were completely normal. A sudden calm washed over her. She couldn't hear the clapping of the crowd, nor the sound of the flags snapping in the breeze. All she could focus on was the horse between her legs. His steady breathing, the rhythmical walk as his hoof beats echoed softly on the sand. Lightning shifted her weight slightly and Yarraman seamlessly transitioned to a canter.

The pair cantered around the out edge of the arena once. In the calm of her mind Lightning heard the bell ring which was her signal to begin. Glancing to the judges box just to check it wasn't her imagination. Lightning caught the sight of the bell being placed down in the corner of her eye. Smiling slightly Lightning began to run through the test in her mind.

'Enter A, collected canter' Lightning and Yarraman entered the arena in an effortless canter. All thoughts of her nerves and not belonging there were gone from her mind as soon as she halted and saluted to the judges. Picking up the trot Lightning and Yarraman started to run through the movements of the test with ease. Yarraman moved fluently and was obedient to all of Lightning's commands.

Half way through her test Lightning dared to sneak a glance at the scoreboard. It showed instant scores as the judges marked the tests. Her last movement had scored an easy 9. Not daring to look any further Lightning went back to concentrating on her test. The last thing she needed would be to look at her preliminary placing and get distracted by it.

Yarraman seemed to find another gear and just floated across the arena. Lightning couldn't help but smile at the effort he was putting in. As the pair came up the final centreline Lightning's smile had turned into a full blown grin. She felt like she had just ridden the best dressage test of her life. After her final salute Lightning lent down and gave Yarraman a hug. Turning around to exit the arena Lightning could finally heard the crowd again.

The applause and cheering was almost thunderous. Looking up at the scoreboard her jaw fell down. Although it was still very early in the competition they were in the lead by quite a fair margin. A grin spread across her face as she rode out. While grinning she waved to the crowd as she walked out of the arena. Although still early in the morning the grandstand was packed with people. The audience was a rainbow of colours as people dressed in their nationals colours to support their riders. As Lightning was exiting the main arena a thunderous cheer could be heard even from the stables.

"Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi!."

Lightning felt tears spring to her eyes and the lump in her throat was nearly choking. At that moment Lightning knew her life was about to change forever. No more would people look at her as the daughter of a racehorse trainer that had managed to get on the Australian team by sheer luck. She would no longer be the rider who was only at local level competitions 2 years ago bluffing her way through the levels by watching other people ride and seeing what worked for them. She was now an international level rider who had just posted one of the top scores in Dressage at the second biggest horse event in the world.

Congratulations rang out as Lightning and Yarraman headed back to the stables. Lightning shyly thanked everyone as she rode past. Some of the top riders in the world had been the ones to congratulate her first. It was like a dream, Yarraman seemed to be floating along his feet barely touching the ground. Callen was waiting for her at their stables and Lightning barely had time to get off Yarraman before he pulled her into a big bear hug.

"I am SO proud of you little sister" Callen whispered into Lightning's ear, sounding very choked up.

"Can't breathe" Lightning laughed.

Callen sheepishly let go of his crushing hug but still kept her at arms length. His handsome face was lit up by a bright smile.

"How do you feel by being the current leader at the World Equestrian Games?"

"Like I need a drink" Lightning laughed again "Don't get too excited yet, we still have another day and a half of dressage to go."

"Yeah I know, anyway at least at dinner tonight you have something to celebrate" Callen's smile suddenly turned into a cheeky grin "And your very handsome new owner happened to drop off something for you to wear tonight."

Lightning felt a mixture of horror run in with a small thrill of pleasure that Dan had been thoughtful enough to buy her something to wear. Even though it hadn't occurred to her at the time Lightning was suddenly very aware she had nothing besides jeans and a few shirts packed.

Throwing Yarraman's reins at Callen, Lightning stepped into the stable to see what had been bought for her. Lightning's face suddenly went a few shades of red then stark white.

"What the fuck am I supposed to do with THAT?" came the horrified shriek from the stable.

Several hours later Elladan was toying with his wine glass while sitting across from a smug looking Glorfindel. The pair had arrived at the restaurant only moments ago and were quickly ushered to their table. The most expensive and exclusive restaurant in the city was booked out for months in advance to those without the financial means and flattering smile to go with it.

"Stop looking so smug, she won't wear it" Elladan rolled his eyes at Glorfindel. The pair had been shopping earlier after spending the morning watching the dressage unfold. The trip was bought upon by a comment Elladan made about wondering if the twins would have anything near appropriate to wear for the evening. In a rare moment of glee Glorfindel had announced he knew exactly what Lightning should rare.

Making an earlier than expected exit from the competition, Glorfindel had led Elladan to the boutique shop that had vaguely caught his eye on his first trip into the town. The dress had been in the window on display in a shop where just buying one dress would be enough to pay for the shop attendant's salary for the month. The only reason it had caught Glorfindel's eye is at the time he had wondered what kind of woman it would take to pull off a dress like that. And he had found the woman. The only question now was would she actually wear it.

And could she walk in the heels that Glorfindel had picked to go with it.

"Oh I hate it when you prove me wrong" Elladan grumbled under his breath.

Glorfindel's attention was instantly diverted to the door. Lightning and Callen had both just walked in. Callen in his usual nature grace and confidence looked perfectly in place as he smiled to the waitress who led them to their table. With great surprise Glorfindel had to look twice at Callen's sister. The smug grin was wiped from his face the moment he saw Lightning.

He was so sure that Lightning would be wearing the dress he had picked out that afternoon. What he hadn't expected was the confidence that now shone from her as she strode to the table with what could only be described as Elven grace.

The dress was designed to be simple and sexy. It hugged Lightning's lithe figure accentuating the solid muscle under it. However there were also feminine curves very present. The entire dress was midnight blue and the material sparkled under the artificial lights. One shoulder was left bare and the other was covered with a sleeve extending towards her wrist. The length was a flattered mid calf length, leaving plenty of bare leg exposed. At the end of the bare leg was a simple matching strappy heel.

Lightning wore her hair simply out, yet instead of the gentle waves that framed her face normally, the hair was dead straight. She wore no jewellery save for a pair of small diamond studs and her face was free of any make up.

Glorfindel quickly regained his senses and stood in his chair, hoping he had replaced the stunned looked on his face with a smooth smile. Lightning's gaze flicked to him and the momentary look of shock on her face was quickly smoothed back into what could only be described as a fairly seductive smile.

"Lightning, Callen I'd like you both to meet my business partner Guy" Elladan took Lightning's hand and kissed it briefly "You my dear look stunning."

A faint blush crept up on Lightning's cheeks but it was gone as quickly as it came.

"Thank you Dan, and it's a pleasure Guy" Lightning held her hand out expectantly with a slightly raised eyebrow. Glorfindel kept his face in a pleasant smile and quickly kissed her hand. On the inside every fibre of his body was screaming in a sexual tension he'd never felt before. On closer view of her dress it was apparent to his good eyesight that Lightning had chosen to skip wearing all underwear for the evening. Mental images of what she'd look like naked sprung to mind before Glorfindel could squash them. Every ounce of his self control was being tested that very moment.

Pulling out Lightning's chair, Glorfindel hoped his cool facade could keep up for the evening.

"The pleasure is all mine Lightning, Callen, I've heard wonderful things about you both" Glorfindel pushed in Lightning's chair as she sat down and quickly shook Callen's hand.

As Glorfindel sat down he felt Lightning's leg rub against his briefly. The table was a fairly intimate setting, chosen for easy conversation. Sitting in a round configuration each person could easily converse with anyone on the table. However this also meant accident brushing up against the person sitting next to each other was inevitable.

'This is going to be a long night' Glorfindel thought as the waiter passed the menus out and Lightning brushed up against his leg yet again.

**Authors Note**

**I swear I will never promise to update within a certain amount of time ever again! I'm so sorry to the wonderful people who have already subscribed to this story. I'm really flattered you've enjoyed it so far!**

**Sadly it's been a bit of a turbulent few weeks. **

**We had an awful week about 2 weeks ago now with my fiance's horse Mitch. He colicked quite badly and we stayed up all night with him. We thought he was in the clear but about 10am the next morning after FINALLY passing manure at 4am he got extremely sick. He was rushed to our vet clinic and confirmed with Colitis X. It's basically where all the bad bacteria in the body takes over the good and can start to shut the entire body down in a big way. It's a 90% mortality rate and it can kill them within 3 hours without treatment. We were so fortunate that within 30 minutes of his symptoms setting in we could get him straight to the vet and treated straight away. But the good news is that he pulled through thanks to our wonderful vets and early intervention and is now home back to raiding the fridge for carrots!**

**One of our ponies also lost the battle with an eye infection and got her eye removed. Though thankfully it's a very straight forward procedure and she is much happier now.**

**So no promises when the next chapter should be up. But I will say keep your eye out in about 2 weeks! Again thank you to everyone for your reviews and people following this story. **


	4. Chapter 4

Lightning took a delicate sip of wine, all while resisting the urge to gulp the entire glass down. Then reach for the bottle and swig that down as well. Without acting glancing at the menu she knew from past experience one does not guzzle down a glass of wine when the bottle is within the $400 plus price range. Nor does one take the said bottle and want to go outside and sit in the gutter drinking it.

Her fleeting few moments of confidence as she walked into the restaurant was slowly fading. It had taken even ounce of self disciplined gained over the years to actually bring herself to wear the dress picked for her. The moment of horror when she first tried it on and realised it was impossible to wear any underwear underneath it had nearly sent her hiding under the bed. Now she was sitting next to the man she had so rudely turned down in the bar the previous night. Not only was she kicking herself for still turning him down, he turned out to be the business partner of her very first owner. The horror of realising she would be working with both of them very closely from now on was enough to make her cringe.

Trying not to fidget and tug on the hem of her dress which insisted on crawling up far too high for her liking, Lightning put a smile on her face which she hoped was not too fake and came back into the conversation.

"Well basically we don't really have a structure to our business" Callen said was almost a nervous laugh.

Lightning wanted to kick her brother under the table. It was obvious he was trying to keep his cool with their first clients. However it was a bit too obvious of his nerves and he was trying to impress them too hard.

"Lightning drives the trotters throughout the week at racing meetings and I work some breakers or do some teaching throughout the week then we have the occasional singing gig as well" continued Callen.

"You're a harness driver as well?" Glorfindel regretted his tone the moment the sentence left his mouth as he turned to Lightning. The question came out like a 1950's husband who had just discovered his wife wanted to work. Although he didn't mean it that way the question was more one of surprise. The little Glorfindel had seen of harness racing looked like it required enormous strength and not something a 6' girl who was lucky to weigh 140 pounds would be able to mange. Thankfully her good manners stopped herself from glaring at him.

"Yes I do" Lightning shrugged and brushed off the tone easily. It was something she was more than used to hearing. The sexism was more than alive in both sides of the racing industry she had encountered.

"Dad trains a few trotters and pacers on the side and always has since we were kids" Lightning went on to explain.

"Obvious I grew far too tall to be a jockey very early on, so I decided to stick with the harness racing. It's a lot of fun."

"Yes I've seen you drive a few times, the little unusual coloured horse you have has been going well hasn't he?" Elladan chipped in as he raised the wine bottle "More wine?"

"No thank you" Callen covered his glass and Lightning quickly chirped in for another glass. Not even thinking Lightning downed nearly the half full glass in one gulp. As soon as she put her glass down she felt a sharp kick under the table from her brother.

'Right rule number one in polite company and new owners, don't skull the wine' Lightning mentally kicked herself and ignored the pain in her leg from the real kick she had received. Thankfully neither of the dining partners said anything.

"Yes Boo has done rather well" Lightning quickly remembered she had been asked a question "He's a fun little guy with a very big heart. He's nearly hit his mark in his career though so after his next win I'll finish breaking him to saddle and make him into a nice little jumping pony."

Before anyone else could respond the waiter has bought out the food Elladan had ordered. Lightning had to stop herself from drooling when the plate was set down in front of her. A quick glance of sheer excitement was shared between the twins. The last 12 months their diet had consisted mainly of whatever was the cheapest possible thing they could obtain. The majority of the time it had been pasta, or on worse weeks 2 minute noodles. Lightning could barely remember the last time they had got to enjoy anything besides pasta and the few months they had half a cow in the freezer. After that both had vowed never to look up another recipe on how to make different dishes of beef every night.

Sitting in front of Lightning were the largest oysters she had ever seen. Half of them were natural with a serving of wasabi sauce, the other were laden with bacon and dripping in sauce. The perfect Kilpatrick oyster. Shifting in her chain again Lightning felt her dress ride up even higher than before. Trying to discreetly wiggle it back down Lightning only managed to make it ride even higher, and brush herself up against Glorfindel's leg. Although the movement was very accidental, it came across as a discreet seductive move.

Lightning was about to apologise profusely but the slightest movement gave Glorfindel away. The faintest tinge of red covered his cheeks and was quickly gone. The slight shift in his seat suggested that the brush of legs made him uncomfortable in certain areas even if just for a moment. Lightning hid a smile and started to eat her oysters as if nothing happened. Slipping off her shoes Lightning crossed her ankles under the table and discreetly rubbed her toe up his leg. The results were instant much to her amusement. Again the shift in seat, this time an even longer movement as if things were getting increasingly more uncomfortable. The moment of a quicker breath, his adams apple bobbing as if he were swallowing quickly.

'I could have fun with this' Lightning thought as she reached for her glass of wine 'For the first time in months I actually feel sexy and somewhat confident that a gorgeous European guy is hitting on me.'

Sneaking a glance to her dining partner, Lightning was rewarded with a brief flirty smile and a quick wink. In the brief moment of distraction Lightning felt the lightest touch of a finger running up her exposed thigh. And in the next second it was gone.

Every hair stood on end as if electricity had gone through her body. As an instinct Lightning jerked her leg away, in the process hitting the table and startling the rest of the table.

"Sorry I was trying to get my heels off and I got them hooked up" Lightning quickly lied and flashed a sheepish smile. Callen simply rolled his eyes and turned back to his conversation with Elladan about the difference between jumping and dressage breeding lines in the modern day sport horse. If he had known what was really going on he was ignoring it.

Elladan however quickly glanced between the two with an almost knowing look and with a smug smile turned his full attention to the conversation.

"Your awfully ticklish" Glorfindel said quietly as he reached over for the bottle of wine. As he did he lent over Lightning on purpose to whisper in her ear "And you have goose bumps everywhere."

"Must be the oysters sending me into overdrive" Lightning smirked "They do make me awfully horny at the best of times."

Glorfindel inhaled the mouthful of wine he was about to drink and managed to not choke on it. His face turned bright red with effort for a moment before a strangled cough managed to escape from his lips. It went unnoticed by everyone except for Lightning who couldn't wipe the satisfied smirk off her face.

The rest of dinner passed in a blur of hidden touches and sometimes the not so discreet touches between the pair. Lightning excused herself to the toilet just after dessert. No sooner than had she sat down her phone vibrated as a text message came through. It was from her brother. Frowning she opened the message while wondering how on earth her brother had managed to sneak off a message while he had been so in-depth with conversation all evening.

'_Treat em mean, keep em keen! Don't forget the rules!'_

Lightning groaned out loud and smacked her hand against her head in disgust. What on earth was she thinking? Forgetting the rules had gotten her into the prediction she was in now. About to be divorced and as of 12 hours ago nearly completely broke and losing everything she'd worked so hard to build.

When her and her brother had been much younger both were quite adventurous with their relationships. Neither of them had managed to hold down a steady relationship for years on end and that was the way both of them had liked it. They lived by a set of rules on ways to get people in bed, and sometimes keep them in bed for a certain time if the mood so dictated it.

For Lightning the biggest rule was to act very indifferent towards any male advances. It drove most men crazy to be led along but all the same time intrigued them enough to keep them interested and wanting to come back for more. It had been the rule she ignored when she first got with her now ex husband.

"Fuck, shit, bugger, dammit" Lightning let off a string of curses under her breath "Idiot, idiot, idiot!"

Lightning smacked her forehead in time with the words. Groaning she wanted to crawl up into a ball and die. Her she was ready to rip her skimpy dress off for her sexy, new owner and climb into bed with him without thinking of any consequences. Guy was everything any girl could possibly want. Extremely good looking, charming with impeccable manners and judging by the way he and his business partner seemed to throw money around they were extremely rich. All he probably had to do normally was smile and throw a few compliments and he could have any girl he wanted.

"You idiot you nearly ruined everything" Lightning said to herself sternly. She had nearly become one of those girls she despised who throw themselves at her own brother after he did the very same thing to them. Not to mention if things went badly after she and Guy slept together it could ruin everything with them being new owners. Suddenly Lightning became very aware that her horses could as easily be taken away from her and easily as they had let her keep them.

"Get it together girl, play it right" Lightning sternly lectured herself. Taking a deep, calming breath Lightning stepped out of the toilet feeling more in control of herself. As she was washing her hands the bathroom door swung open and 2 girls walked in. Glancing in the mirror Lightning felt a slight pang of envy. Both were gorgeous and looked like they had both stepped out of a fashion magazine. Flawless skin, perfectly dressed and not a hair out of place on either of them. Lightning suddenly felt very self conscious and uncomfortable in the skimpy little number. She had no make-up on and what was perfectly straight hair was beginning to go back to its natural wave.

Both girls glanced at Lightning with little notice and then both did a double take. The blonde had her mouth hanging open whereas the brunette simply stared. Lightning was about to bite off a scathing remark about how rude it was to stare before the blonde suddenly spoke.

"Oh my god is that the brand new dress from Louis Vuitton?"

"Ummm" Lightning was completely caught off guard at the 2 beauties just staring at her like she was suddenly a rockstar. She had no idea about anything to do with fashion let alone know what brand of clothing she was wearing. Her wardrobe basically extended to jeans, riding clothes and shirts bought at competitions. Over the last year she had acquired countless shirts with various logos on it such as 'Melbourne International 3 Day Event'.

"It is" squeaked the brunette in excitement "Oh you lucky thing where did you get it from? You look amazing in it."

"My business partner bought it for me" Lightning managed to stammer out. Her self consciousness had quickly turned to embarrassment at the two stunning girls were squealing in amazement over her dress.

"You're so lucky" the blonde sighed "I'd have to save up all my money for half a year to buy a dress like that."

A few more pleasantries were exchanged before Lightning managed to escape from the bathroom. As she walked out it was all of a sudden made painfully aware how much money these two new business partners had. Not only had they just dropped 1.2 million dollars on her horses in one day. They had also just spent the best part of $10,000 on just an outfit for her this evening. Let alone what dinner was about to cost.

Lightning was no stranger to people with big money. Her parents had racehorses worth millions of dollars and shuttle stallions who travelled between the northern and southern hemisphere for breeding seasons. With those kind of animals in the stable came people with big money, anything from CEO's of huge corporations to movie stars. The kind of money some of their racehorses or stallions bought in weekly was more money than some people would earn in a lifetime. Yet that all now felt slightly insignificant compared to the money that was being thrown around now. The people who were associated with her parents were always careful with their money. They were never ones for simply throwing money around for the sake of it. It was simply how they became to be as rich as they were.

Yet here were her 2 new business partners throwing around money like they had a bottomless bank account. Lightning didn't even have a clue what they did for a living, but whatever it was it had to be very successful.

If her and Callen played this right they could be in the position they had envied of many of the bigger riders not only in Australia but in Europe. These were owners who bought in a steady income to pay the bills, put fuel in the truck and even food on the table for them. No more struggling to scrape together enough money to make it back home from an interstate event. No more deciding who desperately needed shoes or who could manage for another week. No more putting off things like going to the dentist because they simply couldn't afford it and had to live with a toothache for weeks.

By playing this right it also meant not jumping into bed with her incredibly flirty dining partner tonight as well. However there were plenty more nights ahead and the longer the game can be played the better it is at the end.

Lightning made her way back to the table with a small bounce in her step. For the first time in 6 months she had a plan. Not only was it a good plan it was actually one that should be fun to play out.

Coffee was on the table by the time Lightning was seated. Conversation flowed easily between the 4 and the last of the wine drunk. Callen excused himself early, stating he needed as much sleep as possible before his dressage test tomorrow. Lightning smiled sympathetically at her brother. She knew all too well he wouldn't sleep a wink tonight. He'd be up until dawn going over his dressage test over and over again. Even though it was a test he'd ridden many times before, it had become almost a ritual for him.

Elladan excused himself not long after Callen, claiming jet lag and too much wine left him in need of an early night. Elladan went to put down his credit card but Glorfindel waved it off. The waiter bought the bill over as soon as he left. Lightning tried to discreetly glance over at the bill as Glorfindel signed for it. However she was unsuccessful as he managed to move it out of sight. Lightning reached into her handbag and put her credit card down as well.

"Here, for mine and Cal's."

Glorfindel simply snorted and handed the bill back to the waiter with his own credit card.

"Thank you but no, Dan and I invited you to dinner so we pay."

Lightning shrugged off the flicker of annoyance, but wasn't so quick that it didn't show on her face for a brief moment. Glorfindel saw it and couldn't help but grin.

"So shall I assume that you're coming back to my hotel with me?" Glorfindel asked sidling closer towards Lightning "I have this enormous king size bed that it very empty by myself."

"Perhaps" Lightning simply shrugged and shot a seductive smile "Though I do have an awfully full day tomorrow and it is late."

"So hire a groom and sleep in" Glorfindel shrugged "And come back to my room with me."

It was Lightning's turn to snort.

"Please if only it was that simple that I could pull a groom out of my arse and not have to worry about my horses."

"Dan would have connections to get you a groom" Glorfindel shrugged and moved in closer. They were barely inches apart and Glorfindel tilted his head slightly and placed a lingering kiss on her neck. A barely audible groan escaped from Lightning's lips and Glorfindel could see her pulse quicken.

"Come back to my room with me" Glorfindel whispered in Lightning's ear. Before she could respond he gently nibbled on her earlobe.

"I'll think about it on the walk out" Lightning whispered back running her fingers gently over Glorfindel's ear. It was his turn to groan but unlike Lightning he didn't try and hold it back.

Without another word Lightning stood up and begun to walk out. Glorfindel barely had time to compose himself before having to follow. He stuck his hands in his pockets willing himself to calm down enough for no one else to notice as he walked out. The front desk had already called a cab, presumably for them both. Lightning was waiting outside on the sidewalk, shivering slightly in the cool air.

"Here" Glorfindel took his jacket off and wrapped it around her shoulders. He glanced down the street to see if the cab was anywhere in sight. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lightning take a sniff of his jacket with a positively giddy grin on her face. Yet once he looked back her face had smoothed back into a neutral but pleasant look.

Lightning found her mind in turmoil. Every fibre in her body was screaming that she needed this sex as a long needed release. Yet her mind was screaming at her about remembering what happens when you break the rules. It was torture, yet bliss at the same time to be caught in this situation. Wanting to enjoy the last few moments she positioned herself in front of him and lent back.

Glorfindel wrapped his arms around Lightning as she leant back into his chest. A triumphant grin came onto his face before he could stop himself.

"I never said yes yet" Lightning said dryly without turning around. A soft chuckle made his strong chest rumble. She tried not to let a sigh of content come over her as his strong arms wrapped around her. Nor was she going to let herself be swayed by the gentle circle game his fingers were playing on her bare skin. The two stood in silence until the cab rounded the corner and pulled in front of the two.

Lightning turned around and before Glorfindel could react, she had her lips pressed against his in a brief kiss.

"Good night" Lightning smiled and quickly ducked out of his embrace before he could return the kiss. Glorfindel was barely composed as she climbed into the cab. He felt like a complete idiot standing there was a stunned look on his face as Lightning rolled down the window.

"Tease" Glorfindel grumbled in good nature as he lent in to return the kiss. Lightning quickly turned her head so the kiss landed on her cheek.

"Ah but you'll appreciate it even more if and when you do get the chance" Lightning was grinning now. The game was set and the players now in motion.

"So when do I get this chance? Or what do I have to do to get the chance" Glorfindel was eyeing the window to see if he could quickly slid in but she was already ahead of him. Lightning begun winding the window up and blew him a kiss from the small crack in the window.

"When I win my gold medal" came the muffled voice from behind the glass. Lightning was still grinning as the taxi started to pull away.

"Then you better win one!" Glorfindel called after the cab "Or it'll surely be the death of me."

**Authors Note**

My Xmas and New Year pressie to the lovely readers out there! This chapter surely took me the longest to write. I've had very mixed feelings about it and I think this is about the 5th time I've redone it. But I hope everyone enjoys it and the writing should flow a bit more smoothly this time!


	5. Chapter 5

Lightning nervously chewed on the edge of her Styrofoam coffee cup. The murky liquid in the cup vaguely resembled a cup of coffee but it sure didn't taste like one. Yet it was a good distraction for her nerves. Leading up to the World Equestrian Games Lightning had developed a rather nasty nail chewing habit. It had left most of her nails chewed right down to nothing and bleeding when she got nervous. She had promised herself a new pair of boots if she didn't do it anymore so the poor Styrofoam cup was getting the worst of it.

Callen was cantering around the dressage arena preparing to go in. His face was white and pinched with nerves. His impressive looking horse, Bobby was grinding his teeth and looking thoroughly pissed off. Lightning cringed as she could hear the teeth grinding from where she was standing. It really wasn't a good sign that the normally calm horse was showing clear signs of tension.

"Breath Cal, for god sake and poor Bobby sake breath and stop your death grip" Lightning muttered. As if he had heard her, she saw him exhale and take in a massive breath. All of a sudden the big black horse relaxed and there was silence as the pair cantered in at A.

"Oh thank god" breathed the female voice next to Lightning.

Another reason for Lightning chewing the hell out of her cup was the entire eventing team was there watching Callen perform his dressage test. It was nearing the end of the second day of dressage and the Australian team were hanging onto the lead by the barest of margins. Callen was the last to go and if he could put in a good score it would give the team a lot of breathing room coming into cross country.

To nearly everyone's surprise Lightning was still in the lead by a good 7 penalties. It had taken a German rider with her super fancy European champion horse to even come close to it. Overnight it had seemed that everyone had a change of heart about Lightning. Her team mates had suddenly started talk to her. Even offering help for her and Callen after cross country when they knew they didn't have a groom and would be stretched for time to get the horses cooled off properly. Even her teammates for the dressage had pitched in to help. When Lightning had arrived at the stable in the morning her boxes had been done and horses eating breakfast contently. An extremely shy English girl was sitting in front the stable cleaning a bridle with her Ipod blasting. She had hastily jumped up when Lightning approached.

"Hi, I'm sorry no one had your mobile number I'm Kayla" she said in a rush, almost falling over her own words "I'm Kristy's groom but since she had to withdraw this morning she suggested I give you and your brother a hand because you guys don't have a groom and your flat out I hope you don't mind."

Lightning had been completely baffled, embarrassed and extremely grateful. She assured the young girl it was fine and thanked her for being so thoughtful. When she sought out Kristy, her teammate to thank her she nearly looked embarrassed.

"It's no problem, really it isn't" Kristy said hastily "No one actually realised you guys didn't have a groom and well, we thought we should chip in."

"Still you didn't have to" Lightning mumbled trying not to feel embarrassed about her lack of groom "Really we do it all the time it isn't an issue."  
>At that stage Kristy had started turning bright red and looking extremely uncomfortable.<p>

"I'm sorry for being a snotty bitch" Kristy blurted out and rushed on before Lightning could get a word in "We all thought you and your brother were snotty rich kids who had everything given to them and no one until yesterday actually realised you guys did it by yourself."

Lightning couldn't believe a word she was hearing. Here was Australia's best dressage rider apologizing to her for being rude.

"We only found out yesterday you had to sell your horses as part of your divorce settlement and then we realised no one actually knew anything about you guys because you keep to yourselves all the time. So I'm sorry and please if there's anything else we can do to help just let someone know. We all feel so bad about it."

Lightning was pulled out of her thoughts by a loud sigh of relief being let out to her side. On her right was Megan, she was the same age as Lightning and was riding a homebred horse. Megan was a person who was generally quiet and reserved. However was a very brave and gusty rider over jumps. She was disappointed in her own 15th place in the previous afternoon feeling she could have ridden just that bit more positive for her dressage.

On her left was the complete opposite of Megan, the last man on the team Heath. Lightning had never met a more outspoken and hyperactive person in her left. Heath was simply larger than life. He'd been at the top of the sport for years and ran his own huge equestrian centre. For those two reasons alone he had an ego that almost defied logic, yet was extremely generous and always tried to help whenever he could.

Lightning never forgot the one time Heath had spoken to her back in Australia. It had been at a small one day event when herself and Yarraman were just getting serious. She had been having some trouble in the warm up with a certain dressage movement. Heath had come over, barked a few instructions at her and left as quickly as he came. They had won the class, beating Heath and Lightning still hadn't gotten over her shock that one of the top riders had actually come and helped her.

It was almost like being surrounded by celebrities, but being of the horse world. That on her way from the stables Lightning had walked straight past the world's number 1 dressage horse. The super star stallion was simply walking along behind his groom yawning as if the commotion around him was boring. Behind the stallion was his ride, talking rapidly on the phone in a language Lightning couldn't quite place. It sounded like a mix between broken Dutch, English and with some unknown words in there as well.

"How's he doing?"

Lightning jumped out of her skin as Glorfindel appeared from nowhere to stand behind her. He had whispered in her ear with a slight brush of his lips.

"You scared me" Lightning scolded "And how the hell did you get here? This is a restricted area."

"Owners privileges, I shall be using them a lot" Glorfindel lent in and placed a chaste kiss on the nape of Lightning neck.

"Stop it" Lightning growled in annoyance "And he's doing just fine."

Glorfindel took the not so subtle hint that now was neither the time nor the place to be flirting. The entire group looked to be on edge watching Callen run through his dressage test. Elladan had appeared to his side balancing a tray of coffee. He handed them out to the group without any of them actually realizing that it was happening.

Callen and Bobby were halfway through their test. The big black horse was floating along elegantly and everything seemed to be spot on. The judges seemed to be generous with the scoring as the instant scoreboard flashed with generous scores. As they picked up the canter and flew through the flying changes with absolute ease the score board ran all 9's except for one judge giving them a 10.

"Holy shit, go Cal and Bob" Lightning breathed. If they didn't majorly blow anything with the next few movements then everything was looking promising.

The entire group held their breath as the pair came to the one sticky movement they always had a problem on. Lightning and Callen had practiced it for weeks before they left and it still only came together 50% of the time. Even with Lightning riding Bobby and getting the horse confident to do it, Callen still had big problems keeping it together.

The first loop came together perfectly. Bobby was balanced, obedient and travelling well. The second and third were the same. Cantering into the 4th loop of the serpentine Bobby suddenly got tense and started swishing his tail.

"Oh please just breath, don't tense up you nearly have it" Lightning whispered. Part of her wanted to close her eyes and hope for the best. But her eyes remained glued to her brother. Suddenly Callen tense his neck to the side slightly and let out a noticeably held breath. Bobby instantly relaxed and happily cantered the last 2 loops without missing a moment. There was a noticeable grin on Callen's face as he rode past.

The entire group sagged with relief. He'd lose marks for the tension in the second last loop however he'd pulled it off without any major mistakes.

As Callen cantered down the centreline his grin grew wider. Bobby came to a perfect halt and Callen saluted the judge. As soon as his top hat touched his head again the entire crowd went wild.

Lightning could barely contain herself. She was screaming and jumping up and down with the rest of the group. Callen had just landed himself in second place, only 1 penalty behind Lightning. Their team had a clear advantage going into cross country. The only hope now was that nothing terrible happened on cross country to any of them.

"That's a big jump" Glorfindel couldn't help but gaze in awe of the massive jump he saw in front of him.

"I think Lightning's comment about it yesterday was that they've made the ditch deep enough to bury all the poor suckers who fall off into it" Elladan chuckled as he peered over the crowd looking onto the cross country course.

The morning had dawned bright and clear. It was a promising start to what was about to be a tough day ahead for all competitors. Elladan and Glorfindel had positioned themselves high on a hill, away from most spectators. Their Elven vision made it easy to view the course, yet still have total privacy. The pair had positioned themselves above what was promised to be the most exciting jump of the day. The water complex.

The start of the difficult series of jump was a maximum height and width ditch and brush jump with a short bounce into the water. Then 3 big strides to the extremely narrow fence painted in bright colours and shaped like a duck. The last part consisted of a steep curved line to an identical duck followed by another huge jump that was not only tall, but extremely wide as well. It would be a big effort to get the horse to stretch out over the last jump cleanly.

"So have you managed any progress with Lightning yet?" Elladan asked, his innocent tone attempting to mask the curiosity.

Glorfindel snorted in a very un-Elven like fashion.

"No, she is impossible to pin down."

"Quite literally" Elladan laughed, causing Glorfindel to shoot him a dirty look.

"She told me at dinner the other night just before she left that it wouldn't be until after she wins a gold medal" Glorfindel continued "And for once in my life there is nothing I can do to try and make the situation turn in my favour. She has me fascinated."

"Both of them fascinate me" Elladan shrugged "There is a vague resemblance in their faces and for the life of me I can't place it."

Glorfindel shrugged. He felt the same way about them. Just flashes of vague familiarity here and there. But nothing to ever make it fit on their true parents identities.

"Do you think they know?" Elladan asked. The question lay thick in the air for a moment. Both knew of all Elves still left on this side of Valinor. Most, if not all kept in touch every so often. It would be almost impossible for Elves to be unknown and slip through the cracks.

"No, I doubt very much they do otherwise they would have been in contact years ago" Glorfindel finally said "And whoever their Elven parent is have kept them a very good secret."

"Annoyingly good" Elladan frowned for a second "It's almost like they didn't want to be found."

Glorfindel pondered the statement. It was true, someone really had gone to painstaking lengths to keep the twins covered from existence.

"Oh look first rider" Elladan instantly cheered up. The serious mood gone as the first horse and rider combination galloped into the start of the fence. The look of sheer terror on the riders face was enough to make the pair wince in sympathy. The horse flailed over the first jump, almost sliding over it. The rider made the mistake of taking the second fence on an angle instead of coming into it straight on. The horse ducked off to the side of the fence, leaving the rider hanging on the side of the saddle precariously for a moment. However the rider managed to hang on and right themselves back into the saddle. With a frustrated cry, the rider turned the horse around and attempted the jump again. This time the pair made it over the jump, and taking the long option of going straight across then straightening for the second jump. They jumped out of the water and over the last part of the complex and galloped onto the next.

"This should be an interesting day" Elladan chuckled.

Glorfindel let out the breath he didn't realise he had been holding. It was easy to see why Elladan was so interested in the sport.

The next 3 riders all passed through, all with some degree of difficulty with the complex. The third rider tried to cut the line between the ducks to save them. Her horse tried valiantly to make it over the narrow duck, however left one of his back legs behind on the jump. Both horse and rider were pitched head first into the water. For a heart stopping moment neither of them moved and people were rushing into where they lay. The horse staggered to his feet and a few seconds later a very drenched rider did too. The rider patted the horse, gathered her reins and began a slow walk off the course.

"Ouch" Glorfindel flinched as he noticed how gingerly both horse and rider were walking "Let's hope neither Lightning nor Callen have the same problems."

"I hope not either" Elladan said "I wonder how Lightning is doing? She should nearly be due in the start box."

All Lightning could hear was her breathing as she made one final canter circle. The ball of nerves that had been in her stomach all morning had suddenly disappeared. Every last minute instruction and demand about the course had simply gone out of her head. All morning people had been calling good luck to her. Even people she didn't know had come up to wish her luck. Even in the warm up people had been shoving cameras forward. Every one of them trying to get a shot of her.

The crowds of people were simply incredible. It was a sea of different colours, all pressed up against the ropes of the cross country course. The noise had been deafening when she had cantered into the last area before entering the start box. Now all was quiet.

"Rider 31, 30 second warning" a voice that seemed like a thousand miles away entered the silence briefly.

Raising a hand in acknowledgement was done out of sheer habit. Lightning slowed Yarraman down to a walk and entered the start box quietly. The stocky chestnut stallion stood rock still with his ears pricked.

Lightning tightened the grip on the reins and shortened them. The leather felt worn under her fingers, a familiar feeling. The stirrup leathers creaked as she shifted in the saddle. Beneath her, the ever faithful horse was poised and ready to move at the slightest touch. His ears flicked back and forth slightly as if he were listening for the moment to go.

"10 seconds."

An eerie sense of calm washed over Lightning. Leaning forward in the saddle nothing else seemed to exist in the universe. It was just her and Yarraman, standing there waiting to do what they did best.

"1 and GO!"

And that was flying.

Yarraman flew out of the starting box at the slight nudge of Lightning's heels. The wind roared in her ears making it impossible to hear anything. The stallion beneath her flew over the ground, his feet barely making a sound as they bore down on the first jump.

Lightning sat up straight for a brief second before lightly touching the stallion again with her heels. He bunched up his muscles and flew over the first jump as if it was a pole on the ground.

"YEAH! Go Yarry!" Lightning yelled into the wind. She gave the stallion a quick pat before settling down low again to give less wind resistance so he could gallop faster.

The second and third jumps were the same easy effort as the first. Yarraman simply ate up the ground as he surged forward; acting like it was more of a Sunday hack on the road than the biggest test of their lives.

The long gallop stretch between the third and fourth jump was enough for Lightning to have a good look at her stopwatch. They were easily over time by 5 seconds already. Yarraman had never felt so good on a course before. Lightning sat up slightly and gave the stallion a small check. They were so early in, the last thing they needed was to run out of puff at the end where it really counted.

The fourth jump was the first real test of the course. 2 narrow brush jumps on an awkward angle, jumping in and out of daylight. Not to mention the dip in terrain between them.

Lightning slowed Yarraman right down coming into the first one. The stallion popped over it easily and stayed at the same calm pace down the dip. With the stallion listening so well the pair were able to negotiate the awkward angle with ease. Without a flicker of hesitation Yarraman popped straight over the second skinny brush and galloped off as fresh as he was out of the start box.

A delighted smile was spread across Lightning's face as they galloped easily over the next 4 fences. Each was beginning to be a harder test along the way but Yarraman kept up the same easy pace. There was no stopping them.

A long gallop up a steep hill, Lightning felt confident going into the water complex. When she had walked the course it had taken her nearly 3 goes to her head around how to jump it without falling off or risking a run out. Even in the last minute instructions she could remember the coach's words all too clearly.

"That water will unstick a lot of people, for god sake don't get arrogant about it."

As the first jump rushed up to meet the pair, Lightning knew there had been another part to what the coach was saying but she just couldn't recall it.

Yarraman flew over the first jump with the same ease as the rest of the course. All of a sudden the second jump seemed to come up far too quickly.

"Oh fuck" Lightning gave Yarraman an almightly kick to try and cover the distance. The stallion stretched out as far as he could and made it over the jump. His back hoof made a loud rattling sound as he just missed clearing it. Lightning sat up as fast as she could and pulled Yarraman sharply towards the next duck. She could feel every muscle strain in her horse's body as he made the turn. Still the next duck was coming up quickly and all they could do was hope the angle they were approaching on was good enough.

With a large splash the stallion lifted himself through the air over the duck and landed on the slippery ground between the jumps. What Lightning hadn't accounted for earlier was the amount of water now lying between them. Yarraman slipped as he went to take off over the last jump. Lightning felt his legs flailing in the air as she hung on for dear life. Suddenly the coach's last words rang in her ears.

"I'd wish you'd put a bloody martingale on that horse, if he has to throw himself over a jump it's going to be all bad for you."

Every muscle was stretching and straining in Yarraman's body as he attempted to clear the enormous jump. As they came down for a landing, Lightning knew it wasn't right and they were both going to go down. As Yarraman landed his front legs collapsed and they were both pitched forward. Lightning flung herself around his neck in a vain attempt to stick on. Barely registering in her head, Lightning felt one of her stirrups go flying off.

Before they both hit the ground Yarraman threw his head up and managed to scramble his back legs under himself. The sudden movement of his neck smacked Lightning square in the face. Pieces of her shattered helmet visor flew out of vision. The warm spurt of blood sprung from her nose and trickled down to her mouth. Stars and black spots swam in front of her eyes. Out of sheer habit Lightning managed to haul on one rein and spin Yarraman around. The stallion staggered around the circle trying to gain his own bearing.

Lightning couldn't think of anything. Her mind was a complete blank on what to do. She could barely see straight and could taste blood. But a sound broke her blank thoughts. The sounds of her stop watch beeping for the minute. Straining out of the mental fog Lightning looked at her watch and saw she was now 30 seconds over time of where she wanted to be. Looking at her watch blankly Lightning just couldn't get her mind to work.

Yarraman suddenly took the decision into his own hands. He leapt forward into a gallop before Lightning could do anything. She suddenly snapped out of her daze and groped for her missing stirrup.

"Fuck, fuck, FUCK" Lightning screamed as she glanced down at where her stirrup should be. Both the leather and stirrup were gone and she could feel the lump of where the bar under the saddle was broken. Her leg was dangling at Yarraman's side like a useless twig. Without a second thought Lightning grabbed her leg and pulled it up as far as she could onto the saddle so she could get of Yarraman's back to let him gallop along. Before she knew it the next jump was looming up quicker than expected. Lightning dropped her leg from the saddle so she could attempt to sit up and balance herself before the jump. Yarraman made it easy for her and sailed over it smoothly.

"Good boy, thank you" Lightning murmured as she pulled her leg up again and let the stallion gallop along. Glancing at her watch Lightning groaned as she saw how far behind they were in time. They had nearly 50 seconds of time to make up. The time penalties were going to be a killer and bump her far out of the placings. If they couldn't make up the time her chance at a medal were long gone.

"Please Yarraman, please" Lightning pleaded leaning against his neck "Come on boy we can do this."

As if he was in agreement, Yarraman snorted loudly and without any encouragement he kicked up another gear. His hooves barely touched the ground as he galloped along. The next few jumps passed in a blur to Lightning. It was as if Yarraman knew exactly what needed to be done and she was nothing more than a passenger.

Before she knew it Lightning was at jump 33, the second last one on course. Lightning glanced at her watch quickly and saw that somehow Yarraman had managed to gallop down the time they needed on course. They were a second off time and so close to finishing. As they bore down on the massive ditch and brush Lightning suddenly saw double of the jump. Her head was exploding with pain and every muscle fibre in her body felt like it was ready to snap.

Dropping her leg Lightning did all she could to not interfere with her with the brave stallion as he made a huge leap of the fence. Clearing the jump without any effort Yarraman hit the ground still running as fast as he could. His coat was white with sweat and every breath was now coming in great gulps of air. Yet he did not falter, he kept running as if their lives depended on it.

"I'm sorry boy, I'm so sorry" Lightning was ready to cry. She could barely see through the pain and the spots of black that kept appearing in front of her eyes. The taste of blood was in her mouth from the constant trickle from her nose.

Lightning glanced to her right and for the first time noticed the crowd the lined the fences. The noise was suddenly deafening in her ears. It was like someone had just granted her hearing for the first time in her life. People were screaming, some were holding their hands to their mouths in shock. There were a few tears but mostly just people screaming at her to GO.

Looking back to the front the last jump was no more than 50 meters in front of them. Yarraman seemed to be slightly faltering in his stride now. The last of his energy seemed to be leaving him and his breathing was heaving and laboured. Lightning patted his neck and lent down as low as she could get to give him no wind resistance.

"One more my brave boy, just one more" Lightning said softly into his mane. She rubbed up and down his neck a few times for reassurance. The pat seemed to give the stallion one last burst of energy. He put his head down and surged on with no encouragement from Lightning.

The last jump wasn't a difficult one, yet it was on top of a steep hill. It was one of the ultimate tests for an exhausted horse and rider. Yarraman seemed to grow wings as he flew up the hill and with one last enormous effort cleared the fence. It was a short gallop to the finish line yet it seemed to stretch on for an eternity for Lightning. She felt the last of her energy draining from her, the adrenaline that had coursed through her veins was spent.

Yarraman's nose crossed the finish line and Lightning heard the all important yell of the time keeper.

"TIME!"

The world was now spinning around Lightning. She managed to pull on the reins and her arms felt completely useless. It was utter exhaustion that stopped Yarraman as he pulled back to a walk. His breath was coming in huge gulps and the sweat was dripping off him. Yet he stood there like a steed of old times surveying the battlefield him and his rider has just conquered. His proud stance took the breath away of those watching him. He truly looked magnificent.

Lightning was shaking from head to toe. All her strength was gone and there was nothing left in her body to keep her in the saddle. The last thing she saw was the group of people running towards her as she slipped from the saddle. Though her body didn't hit the ground when she fell, Lightning's last conscious thought wasn't for herself.

"Look after Yarraman, he was amazing" she murmured before slipping into blackness.

**Authors Note**

For my lovely readers who take the time to read my story. I really wish I could update more often but I do try my hardest. I don't have internet at home and have to rely on some very dodgy wireless connection to update.

I loved writing this chapter. It brings back a lot of old memories of when I used to event myself. The utter calm when you hear the number 3 as you're being counted down. The thrill of a good horse beneath you soaring over the jumps. And of course those moments of 'Oh my god I'm going to die' when something goes wrong!

Thank you again for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

The first thing that came to Lightning's mind was how loud the yelling was around her. Her entire body throbbed in pain and her head felt like it was going to explode. The yelling continued until Lightning had enough.

"Will you shut the fuck up! I have a headache" Lightning groaned as she rolled over and cracked her eyes open. It was a fatal mistake as the light blared through and made her headache worse.

The room fell silent long enough for her to crack her eyes open and ignore the pain that came with it. What had felt like hours of being passed out must have been no more than 10 minutes. Lightning was in the first aid tent just off the cross country course. Her coach looked to have been arguing loudly with a doctor.

Lightning sat up in bed trying to ignore her throbbing body. She was painfully aware not only of her aches but the situation she was now in. If she appeared to be in too much pain she could easily be disqualified on medical grounds. Any pain medication would mean a plane ticket home not only for the eventing but she'd be gone from the dressage too. The ruling body had strict medication control not only for the horses but now for the riders.

"How are you?" the doctor asked kindly as he came over to her bed. Without waiting for an answer he shone a torch in her eyes. Lightning blinked rapidly in the light but simply shrugged her shoulders without replying.

"Follow my torch" the doctor instructed.

Lightning obediently followed the light and then the doctor's fingers without hesitating. While he was doing it Lightning made a mental note of the major aches and pains she had. It wasn't quite as bad as she had first thought. The worse of it was centred in her nose and the leg she held up after her stirrup had broken. The headache was slowly fading with every passing moment.

"Well there's no concussion but we'll need to x-ray your face" the doctor put his torch away "Of course if you want to compete tomorrow I can't offer you anything."

"What about my face?" Lightning asked as she reached up and gingerly touched her nose. The result was a sharp flare of pain.

"Oh" was all she could manage. It wasn't the first time Lightning had broken her nose and she knew exactly what was wrong. Though this time the pain felt more spread out of her face.

"I told you to put a bloody martingale on" the coach said gruffly. Though the words were harsh the relief was plain on his face.

"How is Yarry?" Lightning changed the subject quickly. She was suddenly aware that someone else would have had to do the strenuous and long task of getting the stallion cooled off and all his small injuries dealt with for having him fit for the next day.

"He's fine, his heart rate dropped quickly and there is nothing major that some ice won't fix tonight" the coach said.

Lightning let a sigh of relief out. Her horse was simply amazing and tried his heart out for her. The last thing she wanted for him to injure himself on behalf of her.

"He was amazing" Lightning said softly "I couldn't have done it without him."

"You girls" the coach snorted "All lovey about your horses, he is an incredible athlete you'll be swamped with offers when you get home for him being at stud."

"Yeah" Lightning said simply. She couldn't think of anything else to say at the moment. The coach left soon after claiming he had other things to attend to. And she was left alone to wait for the ambulance to take her for x-rays. She had nearly drifted off to sleep when she heard someone enter the tent.

Lightning sat up expecting it to be her brother, but instead Glorfindel walked in.

"Oh it's only you" the words flew out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"Charming" the dry reply came, though there was a smile playing on his handsome lips.

"I meant I was expecting my brother" Lightning replied with the same dryness with a slight smile of her own.

"How are you? Your coach said you might like some company and I don't imagine him to be the best" Glorfindel pulled a chair up beside her bed.

"No his bedside manner leaves a lot to be desired" Lightning smiled deliberately ignoring the first question.

"So how are you?" Glorfindel asked again.

"I'm fine Guy, I really am" Lightning smiled a bit more convincingly. It was true; even though her face was throbbing it was slowly easing to a tolerable level. Her aching leg was now more muscle soreness than anything else. Lying back in her filthy cross country clothes, covered in sweat, grime and blood she suddenly felt extremely self conscious. She knew her face would be swollen and the bruising coming out already. Not to mention how badly she was going to smell.

"You were incredible" Glorfindel said softly. His fingers reached over the brush the strays bits of hair out of her face. Lightning sighed softly and lent into his touch. It was like shots of electricity through her body every time his fingertips brushed against her.

"No, Yarraman was" Lightning smiled again. No matter what anyone said her stallion had been her lifeline out on the course. He'd made it through it as if it was a 50cm pony club course. He never questioned anything, if Lightning said jump he simply replied back with 'How high mum?'

"Yes he was but he needed an incredible rider to help him" Glorfindel returned the smile with ease.

"Yes but you could also argue it was an incredibly stupid rider who stuffed up the water jump in the first place" Lightning frowned suddenly. She only just realized how big of stuff up it could have been for both of them. In that second that it took to miss a stride at a jump could have made the difference between coming home a hero or being sent home a disgrace. The combination no one really wanted in the team in the first place. Not because the results weren't there but for the simple fact they weren't the popular or fashionable combination. How fickle life could be sometimes.

"But you made it up" Glorfindel simply shrugged "It could have been worse but it wasn't so there is no use beating yourself up about it."

Before Lightning could came back with a reply two ambulance personal came into the tent to whisk her away. They had bought a stretcher with them which Lightning flat out refused to get on after being told to lie down.

"I've broken my nose not my neck" Lightning snapped "I'll walk out of here."

And she did. As Lightning walked out of the tent she was greeted by a roar of cheers. A huge group of people, mostly dressed in green and gold were straining at the fence. No actual words could be heard over the roar of the crowd.

"Oh fuck" Lightning said under her breath "They seriously can't be cheering for me."

"They are" Glorfindel was behind her and laid a supporting hand on her back "Give your new fans a wave, they have a hero."

Lightning shyly raised her hand and gave the crowd a brief wave. The crowds noise increased tenfold. The whistles and cheers could be heard for miles.

Glorfindel flipped through an old gossip magazine and looked towards the doors for the 100th time in the last few hours. With the rest of the team and her brother still busy with their cross country he had made the quick decision to go to the hospital with Lightning. Upon finding out he was neither family nor a team mate the hospital had sent him from the emergency department into the waiting room.

For the first hour he'd had a huge range of phone calls. All from the various support staff with the eventing team, and a very pissed off Callen. Glorfindel had only assumed Elladan had given them his number so someone at least could keep in touch.

Callen had been furious he hadn't been told anything and had yelled out of sheer frustration to Glorfindel. He wanted to know exactly what was going on. Trying to calm to young man down Glorfindel simply told him his sister had broken her nose and otherwise she was fine. The only answer he got was a simple huff and then the phone slammed down in his ear.

Now he had nothing to do but wait.

And again his phone rang.

Muttering a curse under his breath Glorfindel looked at the caller id. It came up with a blocked number. Over the next 2 rings he debated on answering it.

"Hello this is Guy speaking" Glorfindel finally answered it.

"Guy is it?" the voice on the end of the line was a strong Australian accent "This is Bill McKenzie, I'm the twins father."

'Hello the twins adopted father' Glorfindel thought and before he could say anything Bill had already continued without clarification.

"How is she? Cal sent us a text on what happened."

"She's fine, the last I heard she's just getting a MRI scan and she'll be released" Glorfindel said. A huge sigh of a relief came from the other end of the phone.

"Thank you for being there" Bill said "I know it's a huge strain that they don't have a support team there. I also heard that you're one of the new partners with Lightning's horses, Congratulations."

"Thank you" Glorfindel felt slightly confused. Their father had barely paused to take a breath between sentences.

"Listen I have to go, I'm actually at the races right now but let Lightning know we love her and are proud of her and I'll ring her later" and without any further questions the phone went dead.

Glorfindel held the phone away from his ear slightly and let out a small chuckle. Whether they were adopted or not the twins shared one thing in common with their parents. The inability to sit still and the huge drive for success they must all have. It would be an extremely interesting household to sit down and just observe.

Looking towards the door again Glorfindel let out a bored sigh. Despite the brief interruption by the phone again he was teetering on the edge of boredom. He made to take a step towards the nurse's station but was rewarded with a death glare from the nurse. He had obviously annoyed her enough times within the last few hours that she was more than sick of his questions. The glare spoke the words loud enough.

'No I don't know when she'll be out and she won't get out any quicker even if you do ask every 5 minutes so fuck off and leave me alone.'

Glorfindel sat back down in the uncomfortable plastic chair and resisted the urge to glare back at the nurse. Despite all the Elven patience in the world, waiting was not his strong point. He picked up the magazine yet again and flicked through it. The pages of fake women with bleached teeth, surgically altered bodies or just plain emaciated figures did nothing for him. Over the years he had countless models, actress' and other woman throw themselves at his feet. Yet they were all the same, shallow, boring and utterly useless in the long run. It was fun for a few weeks but he grew tired of them far too easily.

The doors pushed open suddenly and Lightning stormed out looking thoroughly pissed off. She was still dressed in her cross country clothes but was holding her boots in one hand.

"And I thought our hospitals at home were bad" Lightning fumed storming over towards Glorfindel.

Glorfindel had to hold himself back from laughing. Lightning seemed totally oblivious to the fact she looked like a crazy person on the loose.

Her hair that had been in a tight braid earlier on was now half falling out around her face. Her broken nose had given her two massive black eyes which contrasted against her pale skin. There was a large unnoticed rip in the backside of her breeches, giving everyone a clear view of her underwear. And her socks were green and gold, her big toe poking out of holes in both of them.

"What?" Lightning was still fuming and looked ready to explode.

"You look like a wreck" Glorfindel couldn't help but burst out laughing. Lightning looked furious for a brief moment but after a quick survey of herself, she joined in with the laughter.

"Come, I'll take you back" the pair were still grinning as they left the hospital.

Lightning sat in the back corner of Yarraman's stable listening contently to the stallion eat. She had just taken the ice boots off him for the last time for the night and reapplied his stable wraps. The stallion had recovered well. His legs were tight with no heat or swelling. He had devoured his grain and was now eating his hay. When Lightning had led him out of the stable for a quick stretch he bounded on the end of the lead rope like he was fresh out of the paddock after a long break. There was no denying it, Yarraman was fit and fully recovered.

Lightning felt as if she was in a dream. After getting back from the hospital she had made it just in time to watch her brother go cross country. Callen and Bobby flew over the course and came in 2 seconds over time to hold onto their second place. Heath and Megan both had clear rounds, although Megan was slow. It was enough to secure Australia in first place with a healthy margin moving into the show jumping.

Victory wasn't guaranteed though. Anything could go wrong in the next 24 hours. Yet Lightning was happy just to live in the moment and not worry about the future. It was an inner peace she hadn't felt for a long time. Normally Lightning was stressing over everything that came with their day to day existence. Getting all the horses worked, finding time to squeeze in her harness drives at the racers, worrying about where the money is coming from for all the bills. The constant worry about entering competitions and hoping you're making the right decision to run at one but not another. The pain of having to sell a few promising younger horses just to make ends meet some months. Watching the petrol gauge on the way home from the races or competitions and hoping you have enough petrol to make it down the drive way. The pain and extra stress of her now ex husband running off and then filing for divorce a few weeks away from Lightning leaving.

Yet here at the very moment everything was going well. The dream of winning was well within her grasp for eventing. Lighting knew deep down for the dressage neither her nor Callen really stood a chance but it was still an amazing feat for them to both make not only the eventing team but dressage as well.

As if he knew he was being thought about, Lightning's dressage horse banged loudly on the wall next door. Smiling Lightning let herself out of Yarraman's stable and went next door to his companion.

"I'm sorry Beau, I didn't mean to ignore you" Lightning rubbed the grey stallions ears. He bobbed his head up and down in happiness. Beau was everything Yarraman was not. Exquisite looks, tall, light framed and extremely flashy movement. The grey stallion was nothing short of breath taking, but something as beautiful as he was could also be deadly. As Yarraman was solid as a rock and always dependable, Beau was explosive and unpredictable. He had been given to Callen as a last resort to retrain before he was sent for dog food. His previous owner had been sick of his bucking and bolting episodes and just couldn't ride him anymore. The first ride Callen had on him, Beau had run him sideways into a wall before taking off and bucking. Callen lasted 4 bucks before being deposited head first into the ground. Lightning had been outside the arena laughing hysterically at Callen. In a fit of temper he threw the reins at Lighting and told her to ride him if she thought it was so funny.

Without a second thought Lightning climbed aboard the stallion. Before doing anything she simply rubbed his neck and told him what a clever, athletic horse he was. The stallion swivelled his ears back and forth and snorted as in agreement. Lightning picked up the reins and simply asked him to trot off on a very loose rein. Beau happily obliged and never put a foot wrong for Lightning for the ride. That night Lightning rang his owners and offered them a small amount of money for the horse. The happily accepted and within the hour Beau was now hers. No one else could ride him; he'd simply run them into a fence or buck until they were dislodged. Yet Lightning had an agreement with the stallion, she simply told him how incredible he was every time and he did anything for her. The days where she forgot to tell him, he promptly dumped her on her head as a reminder that he demanded respect before he gave any.

Yarraman had been an entirely different story. Lightning had gone to the mixed racehorse sales with her father one weekend. They had a few racehorses that weren't going to make the grade for metropolitan racing so the plan was to sell them to country trainers. It was the first time either of them had been to the sales and for Lightning it had been a huge shock.

Their horses had stepped off the truck looking immaculate, polished coats and hooves shining. As they led them into the stables it was clear that a lot of people didn't take as much care as they did. Some horses looked half starved, others still looking respectable but just lacked the extra care that was needed. Others had crippling leg injuries and some just looked pulled straight out of the paddock. Lightning had walked past what she thought was an empty stable on her way back she'd glanced in there and what she saw made her stop dead in her tracks. Inside was the skinniest horse she had ever seen. He looked to be covered in lice and was missing patches of hair from everywhere. His hooves looked like they'd never seen a farrier they were so long and cracked. The horse looked like an under fed yearling he was so small and weedy. Lightning looked at the information card that was in the door. According to the information he was a un named chestnut stallion from a reasonable racehorse pedigree. And he was 6 years old. Her heart broke into a million pieces looking at the sad little stallion hiding in his stable. His large brown eyes looked like they were pleading her to take him away. To her father's horror, Lightning had bid on the stallion and got him for $50. Once they got him home her father made her disinfect the truck twice and put the stallion in quarantine before anything else could be done. It had only taken a month and he had simply bloomed into a healthy horse. Everyone loved the little stallion who always greeted you at the stable door with pricked ears and a friendly nicker.

"Hey what are you doing here so late?" Callen's voice cut through Lightning's thoughts causing her to jump.

"Just saying hello to my boys, I think Beau is feeling left out" Lightning said as she rubbed Beau's ears again. The stallion sighed contently and lent down closer to Lightning.

"You know I always swore you should geld that mongrel" Callen glared at Beau who in response flattened his ears back at him "Now I'm glad you didn't."

"Me too, though let's hope his foal's don't get Daddy's arrogance" Lightning chuckled as she gave the horse a final pat. Letting herself back into Yarraman's stable she gave him a hug before leaving him in peace for the night. The pair started a slow stroll back to their accommodation. The night air was fresh and cool. The stars shone brightly in a beautiful night leaving the twins with no desire to hurry back indoors.

"Are you nervous about tomorrow" Callen asked. Lightning screwed her nose up slightly before shaking her head.

"When I think about it, I'm really not. I know how well he show jumps it'll just come down to how everyone else goes to see how much breathing room we have. You?"

"Nah" Callen said casually "Honestly, I'm just happy that we got selected anything else is a bonus. I mean shit a few years ago we were kicking around still riding gallopers, driving trotters and pulling things out of the stables we thought could jump and taking them to the local show. I never would have dreamed we'd ever get this far, let alone being the first people in history to be selected for 2 disciplines and be within grasp of a medal."

"When you put it that way it sounds like incredible pressure" Lightning let out a small laugh "But yeah I know what you mean. I'd love to say roll on the next Olympics but so much can happen in 2 years."

"Bugger the 2 years, so much can happen in a week! So what's happening with you and Guy?" Callen gave a cheeky grin "Did you get a quickie in at the hospital?"

"No I most certainly did not, unlike you I have some class" Lightning tried to put on a serious face but dissolved into giggles not long after. Callen snorted with laughter.

"No seriously, the night we had dinner I was this close to just bringing him back to my room" Lightning motioned her fingers barely a centimetre apart "But I restrained myself even though I really didn't want to. I figured a rich, extremely sexy guy like him is so used to girls throwing themselves at him that I need to make him work hard for me. I told him when I win then it'll be on."

"Nice, love it" Callen laughed "He's so into you as well. You can see the frustration in his face about him working hard to get you but I think you have him wrapped around your little finger."

"Yeah that'd be a nice change" Lightning frowned slightly thinking of her ex husband.

"Well it's about time you scored someone worth the chase" Callen quickly put in so Lightning didn't fall into a foul mood over her ex husband.

"Now let's hope the end result is worth the chase" Lightning grinned, the near bad mood quickly forgotten.

Lightning and Callen rode side by side on their horses shivering in the cold drizzle of rain. The previous good weather for cross country had turned into a freezing cold drizzle. It was the type of weather no one wanted to be outside in, let alone competing. Over the last hour the temperature had dropped at least 10 degrees and everyone was cold and miserable. The crowd that couldn't find cover had all but left, only leaving those in the grandstand to stay watching.

There were 2 riders to go before Callen was in. Being in first and second place meant the twins were last to go. The other 2 team members had both already jumped, Megan with a clear round but Heath with 2 rails down. It had meant that Lightning and Callen only had one rail breathing space. If either of them knocked down a jump it'd push the team into second place.

"All I can think of is that I want a cup of coffee" Callen muttered as they walked around in the slush of the arena.

"I want a hot chocolate" Lightning muttered back "With marshmallows and whipped cream."

"Yum."

The pair then walked around in silence for awhile longer. The next competitor had left the ring to go jump, leaving the twins alone. The coach had opted to leave them alone as well. His only briefly grunted instructions were to stay warm and don't overdo anything.

Lightning's face hurt every time a raindrop leaked onto it. The impressive black eyes she sported yesterday only hours after the accident had spread leaving her nose and cheekbones bruised as well. Thankfully an ice pack before she went to bed meant there was no major swelling around her eyes so she could still see well enough. Her leg ended up being extremely stiff but nothing some stretching didn't fix. In all she felt very lucky that the damage wasn't anything major. It could have been much worse if she hadn't hung on.

The cheering from the crowd signalled the last rider had completed their round and it was Callen's turn. He flashed a cheeky grin at Lightning before trotting off into the main arena. Looking as calm and composed as ever, Callen picked up a canter into the main arena. The crowd was cheering loudly as he rode in. Handsome and a good rider, it wasn't hard to tell he was about to have a huge fan base of female riders wanting his attention.

Lightning walked to the opposite end of the arena, hoping to mentally block out the noise of the crowd. She hated watching Callen show jump, it was always nerve wracking. Not to mention it always put her in a nervous mood before she went in.

It seemed like Lightning had barely made it to the other end when the crowd was already cheering. A clear round and within the time limit to. Now it was going to be up to her to secure the gold.

As Lightning cantered into the arena the noise was deafening. The entire grandstand were on their feet clapping, cheering and whistling. Even Yarraman who was not normally bothered by the crowd seemed to grow an inch in height in surprise at the noise. Lightning lifted a hand in salute to the crowd before making a circle to salute the judge. A hush fell over the crowd as the bell rang, signalling she had 45 seconds to start.

Yarraman had a strong canter as they crossed the start line. The first line into the jump was simple and they flew over it was ease. Sitting up Lightning did a hard sharp left towards the next jump. Yarraman simply bunched on his haunches with made the tight turn with ease. The next few jumps came up to them easily and the pair cleared them with ease. As Lightning turned towards the triple combination she felt a moment of hesitation.

When she had walked the course that morning the ground had been firm. Now after many combinations had been through it the ground was churned up with puddles in the middle of the jumps. The decision had been made to do the combination with Yarraman in 2 short strides between the jumps as he was small and could easily do it. Now as they cantered down the line towards it Lightning knew if they slipped or took a misstep with the murky ground they'd knock it down for sure. Swallowing hard Lightning made the decision to put in the one long stride instead and pray it'd work.

As they cleared the first jump, Yarraman landed easily and stretched out between the jump to clear the second without a struggle. Lightning held her breath as they did the same for the third. A faint rattle of the jump as they just barely touched it, Lightning resisted the urge to look behind her. The crowd's loud sigh of relief was enough to tell her the rail stayed up.

The next few jumps passed with the same ease as the first half and before Lightning knew it they were cantering down to the last jump of the course.

"Don't over ride it, just let it come to you" Lightning said softly to herself. Sitting up she closed her eyes for a brief moment and resisted the urge to correct anything Yarraman was doing. He then bunched his muscles and they were flying through the air. Lightning felt her heart soar as they flew over the jump. Time seemed to stand still as they were suspended over the jump. It was a moment in her life she'd never forget.

Finally they landed and in 5 huge gallops strides they were over the finish line. They had won.

Lightning threw her hands up in the air and screamed for joy. Her fists were pumping as they continued to canter around the outside of the jumping arena. She lent down to give Yarraman a hug and when she released his neck she saw his neck was wet. Wiping away her face, she only then realised she'd been crying.

The misfit combination no one wanted had just won the World Equestrian Games for eventing.

"Thank you Yarry, thank you" Lightning lent down again and cried into the stallions neck.


	7. Chapter 7

The party was well started when Glorfindel and Elladan walked in door. The small function room that had been hastily sourced and rented out was jammed pack full of people. The music was blaring loudly and people were swaying to the music. Or in one person's case, they were dancing on the table with the crowd around them cheering. Tonight was one large party with no thought of consequences for the next morning.

"Dan! Guy!" the pair looked in the direction of the voice that had called them. It was Callen moving through the crowd, his hands full of drinks.

"Drink!" Callen laughed as he shoved drinks in the pair's hands.

"Good to see you too" Elladan laughed as he took the drink.

Glorfindel took a swig at the drink and nearly spat it out. The amber liquid was obviously scotch, but somehow Callen had forgotten to put any kind of mixer in it. The drink was at least a triple shot of scotch, no ice to water it down either.

"I think I'll go find Lightning" Glorfindel said as a feeble excuse to go and find a more suitable drink. As he weaved away he heard Callen call after him.

"Have fun tonight!"

Glorfindel looked back and Callen had a mischievous grin on his face. It was obvious he definitely wasn't talking about having fun at the party. Shaking his head as he weaved his way through the crowd of people Glorfindel made his way to the bar. He handed the glass back to the bar tender.

"Please make this more drinkable, Callen seems intent on getting me drunk straight away."

The bar tender just laughed and separated the scotch into 3 separate glasses. With a more acceptable diluted version of his drink, Glorfindel made his way back into the mass of people. He didn't get far before he spotted Lightning and Megan both in a corner. It was obvious they were both very drunk, giggling in the corner using the wall to support themselves. They were sipping out of long glasses of what looked to be straight alcohol.

"Hello ladies" Glorfindel smiled as he sidled up to the pair.

"Oh my god you're here" Lightning's eyes lit up and she leapt into his arms giving Glorfindel a big hug. Before she left go, she left a brief but lingering kiss on the side of his neck and whispered into his ear.

"Hello sexy."

It took every bit of self control Glorfindel had not to grab her right there and drag her away from the party. But instead he just smiled wider and quickly kissed whatever part of her departing body before she could get away.

"Megan this is my oh so hot new owner Guy" Lightning giggled "And his business partner is somewhere, you should so go and find him and see if he wants a quickie somewhere. Well that's if he's straight I'm really not sure."

Glorfindel nearly spat out the mouthful of scotch he had just taken. Instead he managed to choke it down while trying not to laugh too hysterically. Oh he could not wait to get back to Elladan and tell him that Lightning thought he was gay. Both him and Elrohir had quite a hang up over the fact some females automatically assumed they were homosexual because of their good looks, smooth talking and years of manners drilled into them.

"Oh wait, that was rude" Lightning started giggling again. Megan couldn't help herself, she was outright laughing hysterically.

"I can't wait to tell him you thought he was gay" Glorfindel managed to control himself enough to speak "But he is straight, loves beautiful women and not attached in any form at the moment."

"I'm so there" Megan quickly left, teetering around as fast as she could in heels and being extremely drunk.

"What are you girls drinking?" Glorfindel asked looking at the liquid in the glass.

"Long island ice tea and it is good" Lightning smiled and took a long suck on the straw until it was empty "And now I need a refill, come with me."

Lightning was wearing a simple outfit, tight fitting jeans and the same shirt she'd been wearing the first night Glorfindel saw her. He glanced down and caught a glimpse of the shoes she was wearing. It was the heels he had purchased for her for the dinner.

"Did you like your shoes I bought you?" Glorfindel breathed into her ear.

Lightning glanced down and grinned over her shoulder, nodding yes. Glorfindel smiled and put his head on her lower back to guide her towards the bar. As Lightning leant over at the bar to order Glorfindel glanced down. A lacy black g-string was just visible above Lightning's jeans. Without thinking he ran his fingers along the soft material, enjoying the reaction of goose bumps from her skin as his touch. Lightning leant back suddenly and wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling seductively up at him.

"Do you like the g-string I put on for you tonight?"

Glorfindel's body reacted instantly. He had no time to squash down the rush of desire that happened. As she was leaning against him, Lightning felt his reaction and her smile got wider.

"Does that answer your question?" Glorfindel gave a fake sigh of annoyance. Lightning burst into giggles yet again.

"You think I'm sexy, you wanna fuck me" Lightning sang in giggly voice drawing out her words. As she did she moved her hips back and forth slightly, causing even more reaction from Glorfindel.

"And now you have to walk in front of me" Glorfindel sang back imitating her manner. Lightning just laughed and picked up her drink. She held out her hand for Glorfindel who happily took it, staying close behind to long enough to make himself calmer for public view.

"Oh look there's Dan" Lightning was suddenly away from him and walking towards Elladan. Glorfindel sighed in real annoyance this time at the sudden distraction. He took a large swallow of his drink and shot a meaningful glare in Elladan's direction to not hold her up too long with talk. Thankfully Elladan was distracted enough with Megan that he didn't take too long to be whisked away with a very happy looking Megan.

"I'm back" Lightning bounced back over to Glorfindel happily and threw her arms around his neck.

"And your glass is empty again" Glorfindel pointed out. Lightning looked at her glass in utter amazement and then pulled a pouting face.

"Oh no how did that happen, another trip to the bar" and with that she bounced away again.

This continued for another few hours. Glorfindel was going mad with sexual tension but he just couldn't pin Lightning down long enough to get her to come back to his hotel. She'd be in his arms one moment with lingering kisses, though never on the mouth, and playing stroking. And the next moment she'd be bouncing away from him going to talk to a new person. Glorfindel ended up swigging drinks down quickly to quell his frustration.

After a toast was called for the champion team, Glorfindel finally managed to get her pinned down in a fairly private corner. He was well on his way to being drunk and couldn't stand another moment without her.

"You are driving me mad" Glorfindel growled playfully through gritted teeth. Lightning just grinned and went to duck away from him but Glorfindel quickly blocked her. With his free arm he reached around the back of her head and pulled her gently towards him.

"Come back to my place with me" he whispered. Before he could respond, Lightning tangled her hand in his hair and pulled him towards her. Her lips of his sent a wall of flames through his body and he had to stop himself from groaning. Lightning needed no encouragement and playfully wrapped one leg around him to pull him in closer.

They broke the kiss after a long moment and rested their foreheads against each other.

"All you had to do was ask" Lightning giggled. Glorfindel let out a frustrated groan.

"If only I had known that 2 hours ago."

The pair quickly departed without telling anyone and climbed into a waiting cab. Glorfindel quickly told the cab driver the address as Lightning climbed into his lap. The cab ride was a blur of long, passionate kisses. Glorfindel had one hand tangled in her hair and the other teasing under her shirt. While Lightning was busy trying to get his belt undone and Glorfindel was trying to keep her away from his pants for the moment.

"I want you now" Lightning whispered in his ear as she ground her hips into him. Mercifully the cab pulled up just outside the hotel as Lightning said it. Glorfindel quickly threw some money in the driver's direction, not bothering to even count what he'd throw. By the quick glance at the cab drivers face the money was more than enough to cover the fare.

The pair climbed out of the cab, trying to untangle themselves as they went. Lightning was in a fit of giggles as they staggered into the lobby and somehow managed to get themselves in the elevator. As soon as the doors closed, Lightning threw herself into Glorfindel's arms and wrapped her legs around him. Glorfindel pinned her against the elevator wall and continued their long kisses. Some were sweet and slow. Others fast and needy. Lightning's tongue twirled around his, twisting and teasing.

"Penthouse" the elevator voice broke through their fog of passion causing both of them to jump in surprise. Both laughed as they left the elevator and staggered down the short hallway.

"You have the penthouse?" Lightning looked at Glorfindel in slight awe.

"Of course, nothing but the best" Glorfindel smiled as he fumbled for the electronic key to open the door. As he opened it, the passion was forgotten for the moment as Lightning bounded in. Spinning around she was grinning in delight. Her eyes widened in surprise as she spotted something.

"Holy shit you have a spa!" without another word Lightning begun stripping her clothes off. In 5 paces she was down to nothing but her heels. Glorfindel just watched the scene fold out in front of him with a huge grin.

"Are you joining me?" Lightning called out. Glorfindel didn't have to be asked twice.

Glorfindel rolled over with a massive sigh of relief as the pair lay on the bed covered in sweat and panting. A comfortable silence hung on the air and for a long time neither of them broke it. Glorfindel lay back feeling the most relaxed and satisfied he had been in a very long time. He felt completely at peace for once in his life and he the moment was one he intended on savouring for as long as possible.

A slight movement on the other side of the bed broke Glorfindel back into reality. He glanced over to see Lightning had turned on her side and had drifted off to sleep. A smile crossed his legs as he shuffled over to her side and pulled her into his embrace carefully as not to wake her. In response Lightning snuggled deeper into his chest and sighed in her sleep.

Glorfindel kissed the top of her head while holding her tightly. He began to drift off to sleep himself when Lightning suddenly jolted awake and pushed herself away.

"Oh shit, what time is it?" Lightning groaned.

"You just fell asleep, it's about 1am, go back to sleep" Glorfindel moved to draw her back into his arms but Lightning pulled away.

"I'm going to have a shower" Lightning mumbled as she staggered out of bed. She was carefully avoiding his eyes as she tried unsuccessfully to tangle herself out of the sheets.

Now fully awake Glorfindel sat up and bed and quickly grabbed her arm.

"Hey what's wrong?" his eyebrow creased in confusion. Not less than 10 minutes ago they'd been tangled together in a wild passion. Now Lightning was acting like she wanted to leave, and quickly.

"I need to have a shower and go back to my place" Lightning mumbled again "I don't do sleep over's."

"I beg your pardon?" Glorfindel's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"You sounded very English and proper then" Lightning snorted with a smile returning to her face "I don't do sleep over's. It's against the rules."

"I have no idea what you're talking about Lightning" Glorfindel ignored the dig at his accent. He'd been so surprised at the sudden change of mood she was lucky he was able to even speak English.

"The rules of casuals" Lightning explained "When you're having casual sex its bad manners to sleep over as it could lead to other things, like spooning."  
>"Oh no, gods forbid two grown adults should enjoy each other's company enough that they should spoon while they share a bed together" Glorfindel snorted not letting the annoyance creep into his voice "Honestly Lightning, it sounds like a rule for silly little girls in their late teens. You're a grown woman it's not going to hurt spending the night in bed with me after we've had sex."<p>

"And I don't even know how old you are so the rule could apply to you too" Lightning shot back defensively. She wobbled slightly in her still drunk state trying to steady herself beside the bed, sheets still tangled around her. She was stalling and scraping for an excuse, they both knew it.

"I'm 37" Glorfindel shot back while thinking 'If only you knew I was over 12,000 years old. Then you'd be in for a rude surprise.'

"Oh" was all Lightning could manage. A range of emotions crossed her face while she stood at the edge of the bed. Glorfindel waited patiently until he just finally opened his arms in an unspoken invitation. If the situation wasn't so silly, Glorfindel could have almost found it amusing.

Lightning crawled back in beside him and curled up against his chest. Glorfindel placed a long kiss on her forehead and the last conscious thought that crossed his mind before falling asleep.

'I can't remember the last time I was this relaxed and it just felt so right.'

Lightning let the scalding hot water run over the back of her neck with little thought to the red marks it would leave on her fair skin. As usual her body had woken up at an hour some would classify as ungodly, the sun was just barely peaking over the horizon as she tiptoed into the shower. Though Lightning planned on taking full advantage of the huge hotel penthouse and was going to spend as much time in a scalding hot shower as possible. It was a rare luxury, even back at home to be able to spend more than 5 minutes in a shower.

Sniffing the bottle of what appeared to be shower gel, Lightning gleefully applied it liberally over her body. Even though it was obviously a male scent it felt luxurious and soft against her skin. As she rubbed the gel all over her body, she observed the tell tale marks from the night before with a satisfied grin. Various bruises, especially on her knees were reminders of the fun in the spa. Her reflection in the shower door had revealed a large bite mark on her neck that had no hope of being disguised or lied off as anything else. Her lips were swollen, toes aching from clenching and unclenching for so many hours. Her hair was wound in various knots that were going to be a bitch to untangle. All in all she felt utterly amazing.

Lightning jumped from her thought as the shower door flew open. Glorfindel stepped in with no invitation except a cheeky smile. Lightning couldn't help but return in.

"Good morning" Glorfindel slipped in behind her and enveloped Lightning in a gentle hug. Lightning sighed in contentment and lent back into his arms.

"Morning, I hope I didn't wake you" Lightning planned to keep the subject neutral for the time being. The mere sight of him naked in the shower with her was enough to stir feelings of desire again. Lightning had to suppress a sigh and stop herself from jumping into his arms for a quick morning session in the shower. 6 months of being single had left her body raging hormones that would rival a 15 year old boy. She was horny and while she had someone at her disposal she wanted to take full advantage of it.

"Not at all, it seems we both suffer from insomnia" Glorfindel murmured into the crook of her neck while placing a light kiss.

"Yeah I always have, I drove mum nuts as a kid by only sleep a few hours every night" Lightning couldn't help herself. While she was speaking she arched her body into his hoping for a reaction. She was instantly rewarded with a sharp intake of breath and an instant reaction from his body.

"You are insatiable my red hair sex goddess" Glorfindel wrapped his arms around Lightning tighter. Lightning managed to wiggle around within his grasp and using her height to her advantage, wrapped her leg around Glorfindel and pulled herself into his waist.

"So satisfy me" Lightning said seductively "Again."

Glorfindel needed no encouragement. He grabbed Lightning and pulled her up effortlessly, pining around to push her against the shower wall.

Wincing around she combed the knots out of her hair, Lightning said on the edge of the bed in just her underwear. Glorfindel was talking on the phone, first he was ordering breakfast and then his mobile rang. Lightning could hear snatches of a conversation in another language drifting in and out of her hearing range.

Today was set to be a lazy day. All she had to do walk Beau briefly under saddle, perhaps even give him a small work out. Beau thrived on as minimal work as possible so the plan was to keep him fresh until the day of competition. There had already been plans put in place that the horses were otherwise cared for, so for the first time in months Lightning felt as if she had nothing to do.

Normally in the current circumstances she would have left hours ago and already been at the stables. After the distraction of shower sex, Lightning felt herself so relaxed that she was almost looking forward to not really having anything to do for the day. It was such an unusual feeling for her, yet almost welcoming after the months of high pressure. There was no other horses to worry about, none of the usual distractions of work needing to be done on the property. For once she could simply relax.

The doorbell rang and Lightning paused to see if Glorfindel would answer it. He was still talking rapidly on the phone and the doorbell rang again impatiently. Wrapping a robe around herself Lightning quickly made her way and answered the door. She was greeted by two attentions wheeling a large silver trolley. Both were attractive younger girls who looked like they'd both rushed to put on extra make up and unbutton their blouses one extra hole before coming up. They both stared at Lightning as if she'd grown another head and their expression's turned frosty.

"Breakfast as requestion, where would Guy like it?" the first one didn't wait for an answer she simply pushed her way though.

"Actually I would like it right there" Lightning could play the bitch game extremely well and pointed towards the lounge with her expression icy "As it's my breakfast."

She didn't get a reply from the girls who seemed to quickly turn their attitude around. They shuffled in and placed the food where Lightning requested it. As they left, the first one turned to look at Lightning expectedly. When Lightning only stared back with a foul expression the girl didn't move, clearing her throat and raising a skinny eyebrow.

"Here" Glorfindel came up from behind Lightning snapping the phone shut. He shoved some money into the girl's hand and slammed the door shut.

"I hate American's and their tipping, and the silly girls that think they can get in with me just because they unbutton their blouse a few holes" Glorfindel grumbled as he circled his arm around Lightning's waist "Come let's eat."

Lightning didn't need any encouragement. She happily poured herself a strong coffee and helped herself to the buffet laid out before her. Glorfindel did the same and the 2 sat on the couch together eating in a comfortable silence. When they finished Lightning stretched out on the couch, yawning lazily.

"I'm not keeping you from anything am I?" Lightning asked breaking the silence. Glorfindel merely shook his head and pulled her legs into his lap.

"Just closing off a business deal, nothing important" he replied, running lazy long traces up Lightning's legs "And nothing exciting either. This is must more fun."

Lightning grinned as his words and let silence fall over them again. Glorfindel was tracing the muscles in her legs that most normal people wouldn't have prominent. Years of track work and riding up to 10 horses a day left her body hard and toned. All the years of lugging bales of hay around, bags of feed and mucking out countless stables kept her lean but strong.

"So what is it exactly do you do?" Lightning finally broke the silence. Glorfindel's hands stopped their wandering for a moment as if trying to think of the right words to explain.

"I'm an investor" he finally said with a shrug of his shoulders. There was no other way to explain it to people without causing too many questions. All the years spent on this earth had acquired more than his fair share of money in the world.

"So you invest in stuff?" Lightning arched an eyebrow at him. Glorfindel let out a low chuckle.

"Yes something like that, it leaves me with a lot of free time."

"So in other words you're a millionaire play boy?" Lightning asked with a smile playing on her lips. With her parents being one of the most successful racing stables in the southern hemisphere she had known all types of people. A lot of owners simply had too much money and needed to do something with it as a tax write off. Others scraped together every spare cent they had to pay their horses training bills. Lightning knew how to distinguish the 2 from a very early age. However she also knew not to judge anyone but the size or their bank account, or lack of.

"Billionaire actually" Glorfindel said off handily with a chuckle. He nearly smacked himself when he realised what he had just let slip out. Most women would be drooling at the opportunity laid before then right now. It was one reason most of his relationships were extremely short lived. A handsome bachelor with a somewhat unlimited bank account was irresistible to most women. At first it was fun but it always turned into the same dull, mediocrity over and over again. Still Lightning's face remained unchanged; she still had a playful smile on her face.

"I can't even imagine to have that kind of money sitting in my bank account, I'm so bad with money" Lightning admitted "Cal handles all of my money for me, so at least we don't starve. I'm awful with impulse buying, I just have to have it sometimes and if I don't have money on me then I can't have it"

Glorfindel felt the tension leave him and he smiled back at her.

"Would you like to help me spend some money then?" he asked "I'm a boring shopper, I analyse everything I get before I actually get it."

"No" Lightning snorted "What on earth would I buy? I'm just happy you bought breakfast because I have no idea where my wallet and phone are."

"You didn't have them with you at all last night" Glorfindel quickly changed the subject back to the thought of shopping "And I'm sure I could buy you a lot of things, new saddle perhaps? What about a new set of tails? How about I just buy you an entire new wardrobe for you and your horses."

Glorfindel was enjoying watching the play of emotions run across Lightning's face. It was far too easy to read. One moment you could nearly see her wanting to jump at the chance. You could almost see the gleam in her eye at the idea of the new saddle she had wanted for ages. But the proud side of her refuse to let anyone help her out, especially financially.

"And get bucked off in front of millions of people because I have a new saddle and it's too slippery to ride in" Lightning broke into laugher "Yeah no thanks. At least I know my arse cheeks have worn a groove in my old saddle so I have some hope of sticking on."

"Now that's a wonderful mental image" Glorfindel laughed. The two fell into a comfortable silence again. Moments passed before Lightning let out an audible sigh.

"I should really get going" she said reluctantly "I have to work Beau and get things done."

"Well I have an idea" Glorfindel said, not really having one but quickly forming one in his head "Why don't you stay for a few hours and relax, then go ride Beau. It won't hurt for you to sit back and watch a movie before you go and do anything"

Lightning chewed the inside of her lip. Part of her said it made perfect sense for her to sit back and relax a bit before having to get focused for the dressage. It wasn't only for another 4 days and no one in their right mind would expect her to be up and doing things today after the party last night. Yet the workaholic part of her was telling her to get off her lazy backside and go and get everything done. There'd be plenty of time later on for relaxing when she got home.

"Please?" Glorfindel added.

"Fine, but no more than one movie" Lightning said, pleased with herself about the compromise.

"I said no more than one movie and this is the fourth" Lightning said rolling her eyes at Glorfindel quickly flicked another movie on. The pair were lounging in front of the TV with a large assortment of snacks in front of them. The sky was growing dark outside and Lightning was still in the robe she wore in the morning. Earlier in the day after the first movie a quick phone call had confirmed her horses were indeed being looked after and she should take the time to relax after a big 4 days. So she had stayed for a second movie. And then third movie. And now Glorfindel had put another movie on without even asking this time.

"It's nearly dark, by the time we finish this one we can go get dinner" Glorfindel pointed out as he hit the play button.

"You're a terrible influence on me" Lightning tried to muster up a mock glare, however failed miserably when she was silence by a brief but intense kiss.

"Yes I am, so shush enjoy the movie and you'll enjoy dinner too" Glorfindel smiled as he settled back on the couch. Lightning leant back into his arms and snuggled into his chest. It had been far too easy to sit back and relax around Glorfindel. When they weren't concentrating on the movie the two shared an easy conversation. There were never any awkward pauses or silences, it just felt natural.

"So are we eating in or out?" Lightning asked as the movie started. She was eyeing the copious amounts of junk food they'd ordered with room service. Her stomach was growling for some real food, despite the huge breakfast she'd had in the morning.

"Well that depends on what you want to do later" Glorfindel's words were casual, but Lightning caught the exact meaning behind them.

"Well eating in it is."


	8. Chapter 8

"And come across the diagonal for a line of ones" a voice was booming in Lightning's ears as she adjusted Beau's stride before doing as she was asked. Shifting her leg, Beau responded happily as he bounded through his work with his usual enthusiasm and exuberance. Lightning gritted her teeth as the horse's one time changes got bigger and bigger with every stride. Her stomach muscles strained at the tension in her back as she felt as if she was about to bounce out of the saddle.

"Yeah marvellous, now all you have to do is hold on yeah?" the voice over her headset boomed again with laugher. Lightning merely shook her head at the bad joke and bought Beau back to a walk. It wasn't the first time that day she'd been on the end of that joke from her dressage coach. Lightning sighed and went to give Beau a gentle scratch for behaving himself. The horse had other ideas and before Lightning could react he put in a playful buck with a loud squeal. Groaning in frustration Lightning pulled his head up and turned him in a tight circle before dropping the reins and letting him walk along. Beau obliged her this time by walking off quietly, shaking his head like nothing had happened. Her dressage coach beamed happily from the sidelines at the stallion. Ever since Lightning had first made the Australian squad and been able to go to him for lessons, he treated the horse as if he was the super star of the world. Beau adored him, and his usual full pockets of treats. The coach however treated Lightning with reasonable tolerance, like he did most people. One of his first words to her was 'Now you have to learn to ride this amazing horse better before you can even think you're doing any good.'

Lightning had initially been crushed with his words, having bought the horse through the levels herself with only Callen to bounce ideas off. She gritted her teeth throughout the lesson and worked herself to the bone to get through his demands. Leaving the arena she had felt as if she was the worst rider in the world. However the next rider to go into his lesson was sent from the arena a mere 5 minutes later in tears. Lightning could hear the words being screamed from the arena at her float.

"Come back to me when you learn to ride, you're a complete disgrace!"

Ever since then Lightning took every bit of criticism with a mere shrug of her shoulders. It had paid off, Beau's scored improved dramatically and they were undefeated in Australia when they had made the step up to Grand Prix. Only Callen was hot on her heels with his beautiful, but highly spooky mare, Anna. Together they had really made history just even making it this far, with a gold medal on their necks already and being top favourites for the dressage. It was a nerve wracking position to be in, though the excitement could almost cancel out the nerves. Almost.

Lightning gave Beau a good scratch on his neck while they walked around. The stallion was calm and unhurried, despite the enormous atmosphere around them. There were at least 20 horses training around them. Some behaving, others awed by the atmosphere and their riders were struggling to keep their mounts focused. A huge crowd was gathered around the arena, all straining to get a look at their favourite horse and riders. The world's top rider and horse were in the arena getting the most attention; photographers pushed each other away to get a shot of the almost legendary pair who were going through some simple stretching exercises. It was like being surrounded by movie stars with paparazzi straining to get the golden shot. Lightning couldn't help but stare at the impressive black stallion. Already a world champion and undefeated in Europe, he was one of Lightning's main competition.

"May I walk with you?" a voice interrupted Lightning's unimportant musings. She glanced over to see the German team's best rider come up beside her. Lightning felt herself turn 6 shades of red in embarrassment before nodding and managing to squeak out a yes. Riding beside her was Isabel on her huge imposing gelding. Who at that very moment looked ready to explode. Isabel was one of the riders Lightning most looked up to, it was almost like riding beside your favourite movie star.

"Thank you so much" Isabel smiled genuinely looking relieved "Beau looks so calm to walk beside, poor Hannes is ready to jump from his skin."

Lightning felt herself grin in spite of her embarrassment. Isabel knowing her horse's stable name was an enormous compliment, much bigger than any other spoken word.

"It could all change in a heartbeat knowing Beau" Lightning gave Beau another scratch on the neck.

"Oh I know, they can be so fractious when they want to be" Isabel laughed and dared to give her horse a quick scratch and took the reins up quickly before he could take off. The gelding seemed to relax slightly, his eye never leaving Beau who had no care in the world and was wandering around yawning as he went. Beau stopped the scratch his nose on his leg and Hannes immediately slammed the brakes on and waited for him. Isabel just simply grinned and rubbed her horses neck and waited for Beau to walk off again.

"Tell me about it" Lightning felt tongue tied and lost for words. The two walked in silence for a few brief minutes before Isabel spoke up again.

"How's your nose? I swear I heard it crack when I was watching you on cross country."

"You were watching me?" Lightning blurted out before she could stop herself. Then she mentally kicked herself. Her brain to mouth filter just didn't seem to work at all when it was most needed. Again she felt herself blush 6 shades of red. Of course she was probably watching, she was the dressage trainer for one of the German eventers. Much to her surprise Isabel was the one who was gaping at her in open surprise.

"I think 99 percent of the Equestrian is watching you and your brother" Isabel looked at her in disbelief "Do you not have any idea what a stir the McKenzie twins caused in Europe?"

"Probably a bad one knowing me and my brother" Lightning snorted "No I had no idea, all I know is none of the Australian selectors wanted us for either dressage or eventing, but had no choice to leave us out with our results at home. 3 years ago my brother and I were simply retraining horses to make some money and ended up with a few good ones who happened to surpass our talent as riders and we got lucky."

Isabel reined in her horse and was shaking her head in complete amazement. Lightning felt herself blush again under her gaze. What Isabel said next would burn into Lightning's brain forever.

"There is no such thing as luck in this game; everything you have comes from hard work and determination. Never let anyone tell you that you don't deserve to be here."

Lightning felt like she was floating on air as she walked Beau back to the stables. Not only did Beau feel amazing during his last workout, her talk with Isabel had been a dream come true. The two had ended up chatting for nearly half an hour while they walked their horses out. In the end Isabel had thanked Lightning for helping keep her gelding calm. It had been true, by the end of it her horse was walking around as calmly as Beau.

They were taking their time walking back to the stables. Lightning was letting Beau wander around quietly picking at tufts of grass as they went along. It was getting late in the afternoon, yet Lightning had no need to rush. Yarraman had been walked earlier than morning and was having an afternoon nap in his fresh shavings when they had left. All that needed to be done was feed both horses, wrap their legs for the night and give them one final check before she went to bed. Tomorrow was the first day of the dressage, Lightning knew that keeping Beau relaxed as possible was going to be the key to their best performance. And while he was happy to wander around the grounds picking at grass, she was content to let him do as he pleased.

"You look lost in thought there."

Lightning jumped and was about to scowl down at the person who startled her. Instead her face broke into a lazy smile as she saw it was Glorfindel.

"Yes I am" Lightning admitted "Just having a peaceful time with the boy."

Glorfindel smiled and gave her leg an affectionate squeeze. Lightning pulled Beau to a halt so they could talk better. Glorfindel laid a hand on the stallion's neck and gave him a light scratch. The horse turned his neck and stared at Glorfindel. His dark brown eyes were quizzical before almost widening in amazement.

"Be careful Guy, he's not the friendliest horse in the world" Lightning warned.

Glorfindel barely heard her. Looking into the stallions eyes almost seemed to make him stretch back the centuries. A rush of images so raw and uncensored nearly bought Glorfindel to his knees, choked in emotion. Images of battles long ago fought and won. The lost paths of Rivendell slippery underfoot, yet so welcome after a long ride from home. The crushing terror of fear as the Witch King descended on armies, only to flee with his own prophecy ringing in his ears. The golden fields of Rohan, vast and stretching from horizon to horizon, almost were begging you to gallop over them. The white city of Minas Tirith and the ringing of silver trumpets as you proudly cantered up to the gate, the banner of Rivendell snapping in the breeze above you. The crushing fear of heights and the years of terror of the shadows that played in the corner, almost taunting the fear you had.

"Hello old friend" Glorfindel slipped back into Sindarin stroking the stallions' neck lovingly. The emotions running through him right at the moment were so intense he had to swallow them back and keep a neutral face on.

Elladan and Elrohir had both throughout the years chased down at forms of incarnation from the old world. It had almost become an obsession of theirs. The lines of Elessar, though diluted and scattered throughout the years were still great men. Kingdoms had risen under the line of Elessar throughout the years, they had defeated great enemies. The Roman Empire had risen under the rule of the great, great, great grandson of Eldarion. The men of Rohan soon expanded their Empire, not through horses but by building ships. Ancient times would call them Vikings and Norsemen.

"Guy are you ok?" Lightning concerned voice broke through his thoughts. Glorfindel shook his head to clear it and forced a smile on his face. The years of holding back his feelings for the old times needed to be unleashed in private. Not here in public. The Elves still left today had gone to great painstaking lengths to keep their existence a secret. Always in the background helping where needed, but never in the front light. If the secret was unleased and believed, it would change history. Glorfindel had kept far away from Elladan and Elrohir's digging, especially those involving reincarnations. Yet his most loved horse from centuries ago was standing underneath the strange half Elven girl who had no idea of her heritage. It was so well covered; not even Elladan's digging could scratch the surface on her history. There were moments in life when things were too closely connection to even be covered a coincidence.

"I'm sorry, but he's so familiar to a horse I had years ago" Glorfindel managed to place a slightly wavering smile on his face "When he died, I was so heartbroken I never had another horse."

'How true that was' Glorfindel thought bitterly. After Asfaloth had died, Glorfindel had never been able to find another like him. Over the years he'd had countless mounts but none had even come close to his faithful stallion. Lightning offered a sympathetic smile and a gentle squeeze on his shoulder.

"I never knew you rode" Lightning nudged Beau on so they could continue their aimless wandering. Glorfindel offered her a stronger smile, burying his emotions even further down. His hand never left Lightning's leg as he walked with her. He ran his fingers up the outside of her thigh, causing a slight blush to creep onto Lightning's cheek.

"There is plenty you don't know about me Miss McKenzie" he offered a cheeky, seductive grin to lighten the mood. Lightning returned the grin and pulled Beau to a halt. Their wandering could be done on foot just as easily in the saddle. It would also make it easier to talk face to face. Swinging off Beau, Lightning ran her stirrups up and took the reins over his head.

"So what plans did you have tonight?" Lightning asked as she went about the tasks with the ease and grace of years of practice. Loosening off the girth a few holes, they continued their walk. Glorfindel stopped to grin at the sound of her spurs soft jangling as they walked along.

"What?" Lightning raised an eyebrow. Glorfindel glanced down at her spurs with a wicked grin. It only took Lightning a moment to realise what the grin was about. Keeping a straight face she simply continued to walk along.

"You should see my whip collection" it took every ounce of control Lightning had to keep a straight face.

"The bedroom whip collection, or the stable whip collection?" Glorfindel asked with an identical straight face "Myself I prefer my handcuff collection."

Lightning couldn't help herself, she broke into laughter and Glorfindel joined in a moment later. It was refreshing to have such a light mood.

"So are they fluffy in all different colours?" Lightning giggled and gently tugged on Beau's reins to stop the stallion from eating a patch of flowers. Beau snorted in displeasure but did as he was told. He walked to a patch of grass and snuffled around before helping himself to the lush, manicured grass.

"Every colour of the rainbow" Glorfindel laughed and brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face. He let his fingers run down her face and gently clasped her chin smiling down at her. Lightning blushed at the sudden public display of affection. Glorfindel leant down to kiss her but Lightning pulled away and his lips met with her cheek.

"Very pretty" she murmured and pulled herself away. Distracting herself by fiddling with the reins Lightning squashed down the sudden surge of feeling that nearly surfaced. The feelings were alien and very unwelcome at this stage. There was too much at stake for the next few days to be distracted by feelings other than those which were rampant in the bedroom. It was too early and too foolish to even contemplate something more.

"So how did Beau feel?" Glorfindel asked quickly changing the conversation. The feelings playing over Lightning's face was so raw and uncensored he felt something change in the air. The overwhelming feeling of wanting to take care of her suddenly hit him with the force of a freight train. He exhaled softly at the revelation. This was new for him and dangerous territory with the feelings of before threatening to surface. He had to admit though; no woman had ever captured his attention this way before.

"Yeah he felt great" Lightning caressed Beau's neck softly. The stallion was ripping at the grass completely ignoring both of them. Lightning smiled ruefully at him and turned to face Glorfindel with her feelings now under control.

"So you never did answer me on your plans for tonight?"

Glorfindel smiled and felt grateful for the change of subject. It was too soon to be wading in the unchartered waters of deeper feelings.

"Well my plans would be that I'm first taking you out to dinner" he smiled cockily as Lightning raised a challenging eyebrow.

"Oh are you now? I'm glad that you asked me ever so nicely" a smile played on Lightning's lips as she raised her eyebrow even higher.

"Yes and then I'm taking you back to my room and showing you part of my handcuff collection" Glorfindel continued with a cheeky, carefree grin. Lightning couldn't help herself but to return the grin.

"You're so presumptuous" Lightning rolled her eyes but the grin with still tugging at her lips.

Glorfindel opened his mouth to reply but a movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Before he could react a photographer had leapt out of nowhere and taken a photo. The flash was blinding and momentarily stumped both of them.

Beau however had other ideas. His peaceful grazing had been abruptly disturbed and what's more the flash had spooked him. He reared up in fright, ripping the reins from Lighting's hands before she could react.

"BEAU, NO!" Lightning screamed in horror as the stallion lost his footing and toppled over backwards. He landed heavily on the concrete footpath with a sickening thud. Lightning leapt forward and grabbed the reins before they could become tangled up in his front legs.

In 2 strides Glorfindel had the photographer by the shirt and even he was shocked how loud he yelled at him.

"What the FUCK do you think you're doing?"

The photographer looked mortified and shrank away from the imposing figure of Glorfindel. However he didn't let him go, he simply glowered down at the young man.

"I'm so sorry" the man managed to stammer out "I work for the"

Glorfindel cut him off sharply "I don't care who you work for you damn idiot do you have any idea what you've done?"

"Guy help me!" Lightning yelled, the panic in her voice made Glorfindel dropped the young man. He rushed over to the pair and felt his heart constrict at Lightning's sheer white face. He followed his gaze to Beau's back legs which were both swollen and bleeding lightly.

"I need Bear here right now" Lightning's voice was tight with panic. Tears were pricking at her eyes which she swallowed back hastily. Now was not the time to drop her bundle of emotions. She quickly rattled off his number. Glorfindel pulled his phone out and dialled the number and handed it to her without a word. He reached out and took the reins off Lightning so she could concentrate on her phone call. Beau nudged Glorfindel none to gently to get his attention. Glorfindel felt a small smile play on his lips as he scratched the stallion behind the ear. Beau lowered his head and snorted softly. He was shifting the weight from leg to leg, obviously very uncomfortable.

"Bear its Lightning, Beau had an accident" Lightning spoke into the phone, her voice cracking slightly. Glorfindel heard the loud exclamation on the other end of the phone before instructions were being barked out. Lightning waited her face a mask of pain and impatience. Glorfindel reached over and squeezed her hand trying to reassure her. Lightning smiled back weakly and squeezed back.

"At the back of the warm up arena" Lightning spoke into the phone a moment later. She then nodded wordlessly and hung up the phone. She handed it back to Glorfindel with a tight smile.

"They'll bring a float back here in case he's damaged something" Lightning explained. With a sigh she massaged her head as if a headache was coming on. After such a good last few days she now felt like everything was about to fall apart. Choking back a sob she reached around and gave Beau a tight hug. The stallion curled his head around as if he was comforting her with returning the hug.

"Oh shit Lightning, your saddle" Glorfindel suddenly exclaimed in horror. Lightning looked up from Beau's neck and her face fell. She hurriedly stripped the now ruined piece of leather off the horse's back. The back of the saddle was hanging uselessly, flapping in the air. Large chunks of leather were gouged from it. One of the stirrups was snapped in half with the stirrup leather dangling uselessly. It was effectively now useless.

"Oh" was all Lightning could manage while holding the mangled peace of leather. Her bottom lip trembled before she caught herself and scolded herself mentally. Right now was not the time to be sentimental about something such as a saddle. No matter how precious it had been to her.

Nothing more could be said as a horse float came screeching down the road and pulled up behind him. Out jumped a man whose nickname was well deserved. He was a large man with a deep, growling voice who commanded authority. Within minutes he and his assistants had Beau loaded on the float and had both Glorfindel and Lightning whisked into the car moving towards the vet clinic.

Lightning stared at the x-rays with relief flooding through her body. There was no major damage to Beau, everything was superficial scrapes on his skin. The biggest concern now was whether to push their luck with competing him or not. After icing the sore spots on his legs, the swelling had nearly disappeared and he was standing comfortably in the stable.

"Nothing we can do now Miss McKenzie except wait and see how he is in the morning" Bear said gruffly, yet kindly as he clasped Lightning on the shoulder. Lightning nodded her thanks still staring at the x-rays. She felt numb, though relieved there was no major damage done to Beau. Finally tearing herself away from the x-rays Lightning slumped onto the couch with her head in her hands. What a day it had turned out to be. Sheer exhaustion over took Lightning and in the privacy of the vet's room she broke down in tears.

Sobs wracked through her body. Most of it was tears of relief, however the stress of not knowing what happens tomorrow also plagued her mind. Everything weighed on whether Beau would be sound enough to pass the scrutiny of the international delegated vet in the morning. One slightly off step could mean going home with nothing.

'At least you've kept your horses' a small voice in her head nagged. The thought made her cheer up slightly. Wiping her nose with the back of her hand she managed to stem the flow of tears slightly. Massaging her temples Lightning sat back and sighed deeply. The tears were now subsiding fast leaving her feeling drained, yet surprisingly relieved. The rollercoaster of emotions over the last few months hadn't really surfaced until now. Lightning had kept everything buried deep down to focus on making these games. Now she was here, she was starting to realize she hadn't looked beyond anything beyond the Games. Sitting here Lightning begun to realize that she couldn't even process the thought of what she was going to do next week when she flew home.

"Hey" Glorfindel slipped into the room silently. Lightning raised her head and smiled weakly, mouthing hey back to him.

"How is he?"

"No major damage" Lightning waved towards the x-rays still on the wall "Now it's just a waiting game to see if he's sound tomorrow or not."

"I'm sorry but I don't read x-rays" Glorfindel smiled and came and sat next to her on the couch. He opened his arms in an invitation. Lightning quickly scooted into his arms and snuggled into Glorfindel's chest. Breathing in deeply Lightning inhaled his scent. The subtle tones of an expensive after shave, fresh linen and the tiniest scent of horse filled her nostrils. It was strangely comforting and relaxing.

"You smell good" Lightning murmured without thinking. Her eyes felt heavy and without over thinking she closed her eyes and snuggled in closer to Glorfindel.

"You do too" Glorfindel smiled and kissed her hair. Lightning pulled a face without moving and muttered into his shirt.

"I stink like horse and sweat."

"You still smell like my shampoo" Glorfindel caressed her cheek "Come on do you want a lift? You can't sleep here."

"I can" Lightning reluctantly opened her eyes and dragged herself out of Glorfindel's arms "Trust me it wouldn't be the first time I've slept in a stable."

Staggering to her feet, Lightning stretched and enjoyed the feeling of her body stretching out. Joints popped in relief and muscles relaxed. Glorfindel sank back into the couch and smirked at the enjoyable sight of Lightning stretching out. Still in her breeches and a tight fitting shirt, it was a sight any straight male would be enjoying right now.

"So it's either my place or yours, make a decision" Glorfindel said firmly before Lightning could flop back down on the couch. Lightning glared at him and opened her mouth, ready to deny him. Glorfindel shot her a look that made her shut her mouth in a hurry. She smiled wryly before giving a slight shrug of her shoulders.

"Yours then, at least I can have a soak in the spa and you can give me a massage."

Glorfindel's face split into a large smile. He grabbed Lightning and pulled her into his arms swinging her around. She burst into giggles and couldn't help but smile back. The dreary mood of a mere hour ago was slowly lifting. It was like the sun coming out after a storm.

**Authors Note**

**A bit of pointless fluff, but enjoy **** Thank you to everyone who follows my story and reviews! It really makes me smile when I know people are reading.**


	9. Chapter 9

Lightning held her breath as Beau started his trot down the concrete surface. The rhythmic clip of his hooves never faltered as the vet nurse strained to keep up with the stallion. His neck was arched and his hooves seemed to be barely touching the ground as he powered along. The icing all night had worked. Beau had made it through the night without any problems. The only sign of the accident was superficial marks on his hocks which were scabbed over.

The sigh of relief was heard over the whole group standing by watching Beau trot up. The team coach, vet, Callen and Glorfindel were all there. Lightning had unconsciously gripped Glorfindel's hand the entire time Beau was trotting by. She sheepishly grinned as she glanced down and realised what she was doing. Glorfindel just smiled and ran his thumb over her hand in reassurance by didn't let her relinquish the grip.

"We are back in business" Lightning let out a breath she didn't realise she was holding. The morning had been one of rush to make sure Beau was sound. There had also been a mad rush to speak to the Ground Jury to make the change of riding times between the twins. Lightning had been due to ride today however it had been cleared so Callen swapped times with her. The extra day should be more than enough time to make sure Beau was going to stay in the all clear.

Beau was back on a horse float and being transported back to the stables. Lightning went with him to make sure he'd be settled back into his stable. Glorfindel and Callen were left to walk back to the stables.

"So" Callen wasted no time making conversation as the pair walked along "My sister seems to be enjoying herself in your company."

Glorfindel glanced over at the young man. Though his tone was light, his face was relatively passive and void of emotion. There was no knowing where this conversation could go.

"And I'm enjoying your sister's company, she is a very special woman" Glorfindel treaded carefully around the question.

"Of course she is, she's my twin" Callen grinned briefly "However I don't think I need to say what every brother needs to say."

Glorfindel raised an eyebrow at the unspoken threat. It was very clear what he was getting at and it wasn't a very polite gesture. Glorfindel just smiled, it was very clear how close they were and nothing more needed to be said.

"No nothing needs to be said" Glorfindel reassured him. Callen simply gave him a wicked smile that lit up his handsome face.

"Good because I'd hate to have to plot revenge again."

Glorfindel cocked his head to one side and regarded the young man. Lightning never spoke about her life back home and he had only barely gleamed brief information from Elladan. All he knew that the divorce was fairly messy. However by the look on Callen's face there was much more to the story. And being a long walk back to the stable Glorfindel couldn't help but let his curiosity get the better of him.

"Again?" Glorfindel simply cocked his head to the side and regarded Callen. A smug grin crossed his handsome face.

"Yes her ex husband had a rather messy accident one morning while track riding" Callen shrugged but couldn't wipe the grin off his face.

Glorfindel simply raised an eyebrow to prompt him to continue.

"As much as I love my sister she can be very blinded by men and the idiot knew exactly what to play on with my sisters feelings" Callen frowned momentarily "So when he decided to run off with a piece of arse that he'd been doing on the side while they were still married, I made sure he couldn't be one of Mum's head track riders anymore. I stuck a burr under a saddlecloth and he got splattered in the ground in a fairly spectacular way while galloping one morning."

"I think I get the picture" Glorfindel grimaced. A few more pieces of the puzzle that was Lightning's life fell into place. It was no wonder that she had to sell her horses as part of their divorce. No doubt her ex husband would be looking for a rather large payout with being out of work.

"And then Dad happily fired his arse when he couldn't come back to work "Callen let out a short laugh "And no one will touch him in the area anymore. You don't fuck with our family and get off lightly."

Glorfindel left the threat hang in the air with a mere slight tilt of the head to acknowledge it.

"I have no intentions of hurting your sister Callen."

"So what are your plans with my sister?" Callen asked.

Glorfindel took a long look at the young man. His face was hard and no emotion could be read on it at all. The look was strangely familiar, yet where Glorfindel had seen it from was just dangling out of his reach. A small frown of frustration crossed his face. But the question still felt like a slap in the face. The feeling he wanted to have with Lightning was beginning to be more than an enjoyable tumble around in bed. The feeling of wanting more had planted a seed of an emotion in his mind that he was not familiar with. It could be dangerous territory with someone as vulnerable as Lightning.

"Whatever she wants from me she can have" Glorfindel was still frowning as he reluctantly replied "As I said Callen your sister is a very special woman and I would give her the world if she wishes, yet if she wants a mere pleasurable time while she's here then I will do everything in my power to change her mind."

Callen's face split into a handsome grin, the heavy mood of before gone.

"Good because she is rather dumb with men I'll do everything I can to shove her in the right direction."

Glorfindel returned the grin and the pair fell into an easy conversation back to the stable.

Lightning chewed what was left of her nails as she watched Callen canter around the dressage ring. His mare Anna was completely on edge and looking ready to explode. Callen was doing everything in his power to tactfully navigate her without causing her to become even more upset.

The world champion had just left the ring before them, posting a record breaking score. The crowd was still going insane as Callen rode in. Anna had always been noise sensitive and had tried to do an extremely quick departure as she entered the ring. Callen had gotten her under control yet it was hanging by the barest of threads. The mare's eyes were nearly bulging out of her sockets and she was a lather of sweat already. Callen had his jaw set and his arms looked to be nearly ripped out of their sockets. Callen pulled the mare to a halt which resulted in her started to rear. It was only by sheer luck that he managed to kick her forward back into a canter before it could get worse.

The bell rang, signalling that they had 45 seconds to enter the arena. The crowd suddenly went quiet and the look on Callen's face was evident. The mare started to settle slightly and Callen relaxed his death grip on the reins. The pair looked confident by the time they had entered the arena and done their first salute. The first marks flashed up on the board and Lightning frowned at them. The judges obviously weren't happy with Anna's display outside of the ring and were handing out harsh marks.

"What the fuck do they mean a 5 for that halt? Are the judges blind" the Australian dressage coach beside Lightning was fuming. Lightning hid a small smile before focusing back on her brother. Unlike everyone else in the world, the coach actually got on very well with her brother. The two had many animated discussion during his lessons.

As Anna powered across the arena in an amazing extended trot, Lightning had a quick glance around the grandstand seating. After she had gotten Beau settled back into his stable she had gone looking for Glorfindel. Callen had returned alone and Lightning hadn't been able to find him anywhere. She wanted to smack herself for being so childish when a stab of disappointment had hit her. This was only meant to be a fun tumble around in the sack. Yet when Glorfindel wasn't around she felt herself wanting him to be.

'Silly little girl feelings Lightning' she mentally slapped herself 'He's a gorgeous billionaire and this is nothing more than a bit of fun until you get home.'

Lightning sighed inwardly and agreed with her mind. There was no point in even trying to develop feelings, it would only end in her getting upset again.

"Yes Callen, better!" the coach yelled causing Lightning to jump. She mentally scolded herself and concentrated back on her brother. He was nearly half way through his test and with a quick glance at the scoreboard the judges were finally started to hand out better marks. Anna had settled immensely and Callen wore a look of pure determination on his face.

Lightning smiled proudly as she watched her brother. He always swore that he would never do straight dressage and tried to make Anna into an eventer. She had minor success at the lower levels but as soon as the jumps started to get serious she started sticking the brakes on. So Callen had grudgingly started working on her dressage. It was clear from the start that though the mare wasn't a natural huge moving horse she was trainable. And within 18 months they had hit Grand Prix dressage. For the first few months they had struggled to pull in any kind of decent scores. It wasn't until the dressage coach pulled him aside and gave Callen a lecture on not doing his horse justice, that they had improved immensely. It hadn't taken long before the pair were breathing down Lightning's neck at competitions and even beating them.

Callen cantered down the centreline for his last movements. He was already smiling as he steadied Anna into the pirouette. The last line of moves all down the centreline were almost a party trick for the pair. As they came out of the pirouettes they simply skipped through the changes of leg every stride and easily steadied back into the final pirouette. 4 more canter strides and the pair were done. Callen pumped his fist in the air as soon as he replaced his top hat. He didn't even glance at the scoreboard as he rode out with the crowd cheering. Anna must have been tired as she walked along calmly on a loose rein with the noise of the crowd.

"72%" the dressage coach beamed happily. Lightning looked at the scoreboard and gaped openly. Callen had broke his own personal best record for a dressage test, and had scored better than either of them ever had. Even though it was only early on in the competition they sat comfortably on 4th position.

"Someone has their work cut for them tomorrow" the coach was still beaming as he turned to Lightning. She could only laugh and hurried over to congratulate her brother.

"Cal!" Lightning practically squealed and threw herself into her brother. He was laughing almost hysterically and engulfed Lightning into a big hug. The pair almost knocked themselves into Anna who was snorting in displeasure at all the commotion.

It had taken hours for Callen to make it back to the stable. Kayla, the groom who had been helping them had come and taken Anna away to get her put away. Lightning had been swept away with him in the few hours of media that had followed his test. Both of them had managed for the large part to avoid it after their eventing win but now with Callen's score in the dressage they'd been hounded as soon as they left the arena.

They had both finally agreed to sit down and do a major conference and the questions hadn't stopped for hours. Lightning was feeling frazzled towards the end of it when the performance manager quickly stepped in and put an end to it. He had promised all the media personal interviews when both her and Callen had finished the dressage.

Lightning wanted nothing more than to just give Yarraman a hug after it all. The emotional high also came with a major low, not to mention the pit of nerves starting to settle in her stomach for tomorrow. Lightning walked past Beau's stable first and was bombarded by the grey stallion immediately begging for treats. Lightning simply laughed and pulled out a few pieces of liquorice out of his grooming kit. Satisfied with just his treat, he inhaled it down and just went back to his dinner. Lightning shook her head as she watched him pull out every piece of hay from his haynet and then eat it off the floor. In-between doing that he'd go and take a few mouthfuls of grain. It was a strange habit he always did and amusing to watch if you weren't the poor person cleaning out his stable the next day.

As she made her way to Yarraman's stable, something bright instantly caught her eye. Stuck on her stable was a gift wrapped box. On the card to it was her name written in elegant handwriting. A small thrill of excitement ran through Lightning as she ripped opened the box. In it was a new Iphone with a note attached to it.

_Call me when you get this! It's charged and ready to go. And look inside your stable._

_Guy_

Lightning forgot about the phone instantly and glanced inside her stable. In the corner out of sight was a brand new saddle sitting on a stand. It was the saddle she had wanted for ages but could never justify buying it with the nearly $4000 price tag attached to it. It was complete with matching stirrup leathers, state of the art stirrups and treads and a sheepskin lined girth. The whole set up would have cost a cool $6000. Lightning stood there her emotions ranging from angry to thrilled about the saddle. It was a huge gift. Part of her rational mind knew she had to get a new saddle for Beau anyway as her old one was ruined beyond belief. But she knew she'd never have spent that kind of money on one.

Looking at the phone now switched on in her hand, Lightning didn't even hesistate to ring the only number programmed into the phone. It only rang once before being picked up.

"I was wondering when you were ever going to get back to the stable" Glorfindel smile could easily be heard in his voice.

"Why did you buy me a saddle?" Lightning blurted out before she could stop herself "It is far too expensive for me to accept."

"Because I was told it was the best and you needed a new saddle" Glorfindel said in amusement "I don't even look at price tags Lightning, money doesn't worry me. And you're welcome."

Lightning could feel herself going red. Of course he didn't look at the money. The kind of money he spent today on her new saddle would have been a very minor insignificance on his bank account. And here she was acting like a spoilt brat throwing a tantrum over a very nice gift.

"Thank you, and for the phone as well" Lightning said softly, embarrassment now washing over her in waves.

"Now I can keep in touch with you, how on earth do you manage without a mobile phone?" Glorfindel quickly changed the conversation.

"I did have one" Lightning let out a short laugh "It kind of went for a swim in the dam and I never bothered to replace it."

"Well consider this a gift to keep us both sane" Glorfindel laughed and Lightning finally felt herself start to relax. The overreaction about the saddle was already slipping from her mind.

"So what are you doing?" Lightning asked as she started to run her fingers over the expensive leather. Yarraman was standing in the opposite corner ignoring her completely while he ate his dinner. Lightning let herself slump down in the shavings next to the saddle.

"I was just ordering room service for 2 before you rang and I've turned the spa on and as soon as you hang up the phone I'm going to get a taxi to pick you up" Glorfindel said in a light tone which caused Lightning to laugh.

"I can't Guy, I'm on early tomorrow and I need my sleep."

"And you'll sleep fine after a good dinner and a swim in the spa" Glorfindel paused for a brief moment "I promise I'll let you get a good night sleep."

"I can't promise you the same thing though" Lightning laughed again "I might not be able to keep my hands off you and then I'll fall off Beau because I'm too tired."

"I'll tie you to the bed so you can't have your way with me" Glorfindel joined in with Lightning's laugher "But then I can't promise you that I won't want you while you're tied up there."

"Promises" Lightning couldn't stop herself from grinning. As tempting as his offer was she knew she had to go back to where she was staying and get a good night sleep.

"So what do you want for dinner?" Glorfindel asked. Lightning bit her lip and tried not to sigh in frustration. The offer was so tempting.

"I can't Guy, maybe when I'm finished the dressage" Lightning tried to keep a light tone to stop the disappointment creeping into her voice.

"Well that's only a few days away, it'll just make me want you more" Glorfindel's voice had dropped a notch as he used a seductive tone.

"Really?" Lightning felt herself almost go giddy with excitement. She had to clamp her hand over her mouth to stop herself giggling.

"Of course, and I'll be there to watch you ride tomorrow. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Lightning suddenly felt herself go 6 different shades of red. A thousand emotions ran across her mind in one second before she stomped them down. It was too early and the pain of before still too raw to even consider any of those feelings. She was still reeling from the fact his previous comments of just wanting her more after a few days. Even her ex husband had never said anything like that to her, nor had he promised to be there to watch her ride.

"I'll miss you until then" Glorfindel said quietly.

A huge lump formed in Lightning's throat almost instantly. This was crazy, it was too soon for anything to happen. They only knew each other a few days. All Lightning had wanted was a fun night in bed and never looked for anything more.

"I'll miss you too" Lightning almost whispered before she could stop herself. Smacking her forehead in frustration she quickly hung up the phone before anything else could be said. Sitting in the shavings she put her head in her hands. Pushing all thoughts out of her mind she simply sighed and picked up her new saddle carefully and carried it to the tack box.

After an hour of mindless random tasks Lightning finally made her way back to her room slowly. After a few nights of company the room was going to feel cold and empty. The canteen was closed so Lightning just helped herself to a packet of chips and a chocolate bar from the vending machine. It was hardly a sustainable dinner but she was feeling to drained to go elsewhere for some real food. No matter how much she tried to squash it down, she couldn't help keep replaying those few words in her mind.

'I'll miss you.'

Lightning groaned. She didn't even know what to make of it. The more she thought about it the more she came to the conclusion that he knew they were on borrowed time and this was just a fling for the next week. So of course he was going to miss her while he couldn't be with her. The limited time before she went back to Australia and he went back to Europe.

Going back to Australia. Lightning couldn't help but smile at that simple thought. It'd be good to get home and just get to a normal life. No press conferences, no gorgeous European billionaires and best of all no money worries to be going back to home. Life was going to not only be simpler but also a lot easier. They could finally put in the new stable block that they'd slowly been scraping together for. The arena could get an upgraded surface, maybe even turn it into an indoor. The poor ancient horse truck could finally be retired and replaced with something a bit bigger and newer. The same went for the old ute and horse float. Both of them could be upgraded.

Lightning kept going through the list of things she wanted done back home as she wandered up the stairs to her room. Most of lights under doors were out but TV's and music could still be heard from a select few. In the common room at the end of the hall there were laughing voices. Lightning momentarily considered to go up and join them but quickly ruled it out. The voices were speaking in a foreign language and Lightning felt no need to try and break through language barriers tonight.

Lightning unlocked the door to her room and stepped in kicking the door closed behind her. Sitting on the bed to unlace her boots she wiggled her toes in relief when they were off. Lying back on the bed she heaved a sigh of relief. It was soft and comfortable after a long day. Closing her eyes she sighed again and let herself get comfortable. Her body almost ready to fall asleep instantly.

A loud knocking on the door jolted her upright.

"I'm going to fucking kill you Callen" Lightning said through gritted teeth. Only her brother had such bad timing to interrupt her just as she fell asleep. Swinging off the bed she stomped to the door and took in a deep breath, ready to yell at her twin as soon as she opened the door. As she yanked it open the only thing she saw was a flash of blonde hair. In a second the door was slammed shut and Lightning was against the wall. Hot lips were on hers and a hand wrapped in her hair was pulling her closer. Lightning's body instantly responded and she groaned quietly. Her leg reflectively wrapped around his waist as she kissed back.

Both Glorfindel and Lightning pulled back from each other, panting slightly. Lightning frowned lightly at him and went to open her mouth. Glorfindel laid a finger on her lips to silence her.

"I couldn't wait. I missed you too much."

That was all the words that needed to be said. Lightning simply wrapped her hand into his hair and pulled him into a kiss. The pair stumbled backwards into her bed pulling off each other's clothes as they went. As they fell into bed in tangled naked limbs Lightning let her emotions just go for this one time.

"I missed you too."

Glorfindel rested his chin lightly against the fence as he watched Lightning making her final preparations before she rode into her test. Her coach was beside her giving last minute orders, while Callen wiped off her boots. Beau was standing there calmly with his ears pricked looking ready to take on the world. He caught her eye as she adjusted her top hat and her give her a small smile and wink. Lightning beamed in response but focused her attention back to matters at hand quickly.

He knew he was a fool last night. After she had hung up Glorfindel had spent an hour pacing around the streets before he came to a small cafe that was still open. It was on pure impulse he had bought dinner for two and gotten a taxi back to where the riders were all being housed. It was a secured complex but showing his owners pass the security guard merely shrugged and let him in. He had planned to hold up the food and announce proudly that he still bought her dinner but just seeing her standing there had undone every fibre of help self control.

They had both laughed about it afterwards and eaten the food cold. Lightning was asleep almost instantly when they had both climbed into bed afterwards. Glorfindel had been more than content to just lie there and play with her hair until he fell asleep.

It had thrilled him on the phone when she had said she missed him. But the abrupt hanging up had simply left him frowning. He knew she had been hurt badly and he was a fool for even saying it. But around her he never seemed to be able to keep a clear mind lately. His emotions simply spilt over into his words without any filter. And for once it had almost made him happy to be able to be so unchecked with his words.

"You are extremely hard to find when you want to be" came a grumbling voice from behind him followed by a slap on the back.

"Hello Elladan" Glorfindel never took his eyes off Lightning. She and Beau were trotting around doing some simple stretching exercises. They were due in the ring in 15 minutes so everything being done now was to keep Beau calm.

"Where the hell have you been? I've been calling you all morning" Elladan continued to grumble as he took a place next to Glorfindel.

"I know, I've been ignoring you" Glorfindel smirked "So what have you been calling me about that's so important?"

"I've been horse shopping" Elladan announced proudly "And I wanted your opinion."

"Really, you wanted my opinion on horses?" Glorfindel managed to pull his eyes from Lightning and raise an eyebrow.

"Well not really, but I figured you'd be with Lightning and I wanted her opinion" Elladan smirked as Glorfindel shot him a filthy look. Rolling his eyes he turned back to Lightning who was now walking around quietly on Beau.

"I'm not sure why you're horse shopping for Lightning, I'm sure she has her hands full at home with the horses she has."

"Not the point, every rider needs a string of good quality horses" Elladan simply shrugged "Callen has quite happily agreed on the horses I bought for him."

"And are we going halves in these too?" Glorfindel asked trying not to think of how much of his money Elladan had already spent.

"Only for Lightning's horses, unless you really like any of Callen's" Elladan said with another shrug.

"Considering Lightning nearly had a fit over me buying her new saddle I'm not sure how she's going to go with you buying her horses like you would clothes" Glorfindel said "She doesn't particularly like money being spent on her."

"Then she better get used to it" Elladan snorted "I suggested to her brother that they consider moving to Europe and our company becoming their main sponsors."

Glorfindel nearly fell over in surprise. He pulled his attention away from Lightning and simply stared at Elladan. He simply smirked at Glorfindel who was trying his best not to gape at Elladan.

"And what did Callen say?" Glorfindel choked out while regaining his composure. For a fleeting moment a rush of excitement ran through him. He struggled to keep a straight face, a movement that did not go unnoticed by Elladan. The young twin was smirking at Glorfindel's reaction. Yet he said nothing about it.

"He'd think about it."

Glorfindel blew out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. Of course they would have to think about it. Their entire lives had recently been turned upside down by the somewhat interfering Elves. From the little Glorfindel really knew about Lightning he couldn't see her wanting to change her life in such a big way. Barely a few weeks ago her and Callen were a pair of struggling riders who could barely make ends meet. Now they were about to become the most famous riders in their country, regardless of what happened in their placing in the next few days. Just being there and doing it had made history. Their entire lives were going to be turned upside down for the next few months as it was.

"She's about to go in" Elladan broke into Glorfindel's thoughts.

Lightning trotted past the pair and with a quick tight smile to Glorfindel, she then rode down into the entrance of the arena. Glorfindel barely waited for Elladan as he rushed towards the seat he had reserved for today. Getting those seats had nearly been near impossible. If it wasn't for the owners pass he so happily flashed around, Glorfindel knew he'd be standing in the distance trying to watch. The tickets for the next day were similar. The freestyle to music dressage had been booked out for months save a very select few VIP tickets. Taking his seat he sat transfixed on the grey stallion now cantering around the outside of the arena. The pair looked cool and calm. A fierce look of determination was set on Lightning's face. The bell rang signalling them to start. Lightning took a visible deep breath and entered the arena.

**Authors Note.**

**Ok maybe a little bit mean to leave it there but I thought another chapter upload for today was well over due! So here is two chapters for my lovely readers**

**For anyone interested and with a bit of spare time. If you aren't very horsey it's probably a bit hard to explain every details that goes into these type of competitions. But I highly recommend people look up a few videos on YouTube to get an idea of what the twins are doing.**

**First one for 3 day eventing. With the invention of helmet cam you can basically ride a cross country course. My favourite is Run Henny Run. It is an Aussie rider Peter Aitkens who wears his helmet cam a lot. But by typing 'Helmet Cam Cross Country' into the search also brings up a lot.**

**For dressage you really can't go past simply search Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas Freestyle. The black stallion is simply amazing to watch under his old rider. Another favourite of mine is Charlotte Durjardin and Valegro at the London Olympics. Also simply for fun look up David Shoobridge and 007 at Equitana Australia. He's not in the same standard as the other two however his freestyle is just so much fun to watch!**

**Enjoy!**


	10. Chapter 10

Lightning gritted her teeth as Beau bounced off with his usual enthusiasm. He had been full of himself the entire warm up and she hoped he'd back off slightly when they got into the arena. It was no such luck as Beau seemed to get stronger with every stride he took. Lightning felt her arms begin to ache as he pulled against the bit in their first extended trot. He felt amazing as he floated through the air and Lightning hoped the fact he was set against wasn't showing.

As they rounded the corner, Lightning flexed him slightly ready to begin the next movement. Beau took over and flew across sideways with such elasticity. Lightning begin to wonder if he'd be able to sort his own legs out when they finished the movement. Shaking her head slightly, Lightning simply prepared him for the next movement and let him take over again slightly. Past experience taught her that if she fought him Beau during tests, it usually ended up in her getting bucked off. She learnt that lesson the hard way at one of their first big indoor competitions back in Australia. The entire class had been delayed for nearly half an hour and Beau bucked and squealed around the arena refusing to be caught. The walk back to the stable had been an embarrassing one as Lightning walked back red faced with people pointing and whispering about her. Thankfully later that day they'd gone on to win the remaining classes and silenced the critics.

Lightning was never so grateful for their walk work to come up. She practically dropped the reins at Beau for their extended walk. He simply shook his head and plodded off like they were about to go for an afternoon stroll down the road. Lightning smiled and gave him a quick scratch on the wither before gathering up the reins and preparing for the canter. Touching him lightly behind the girth, Beau bounced off in the canter with a little too much exuberance. He ducked his head as if he was about to buck. Lightning quickly pulled one rein up and hissed a warning at him.

"Don't do it mate, not here."

Beau flicked an ear back and then quickly settled into the rhythm of the canter. He ceased his pulling and actually started to listen through the movements. Lightning sighed in relief as she started to be able to ride him without the overreaction. As they came down into their final centreline Lightning started to smile. They'd done better than she'd hoped for. She did her final salute with a flourish and dropped the reins. Grinning from ear to ear she gave Beau a huge pat and let him casually walk out of the arena.

Suddenly the roar of the crowd was deafening. Lightning hadn't heard a thing when she rode into the arena. Now all she could hear was a loud sound that just couldn't be described. Finally letting herself look at the scoreboard, she couldn't help but smirk.

They were sitting comfortably in first space. Nearly 2 percent in front of the next person.

Beau's strong moments at the start had gone practically unnoticed by the judges. Lightning knew there had been a few very minor hiccups in some of the movements, but they had been marked fairly. No matter what happened next they had just gone down in Australian history. No one had ever scored like she just did in an international competition. Normally Australia was well down in the rankings, they'd be lucky to have someone in the top ten.

Waving to the screaming crowd, Lightning couldn't keep the smile off her face. She barely registered who the next rider was riding past her. He slowed down to a walk and give Lightning a small wave. Lightning had to stop herself gaping. Walking past her was the world's number one ranked rider and his super star stallion. He reined to a stop and gave Lightning a confident smirk.

"You're about to give me a run for my money Miss McKenzie, congratulations."

Lightning nearly fainted from excitement. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face. Not only was she mere meters from the legendary pair, he had actually spoken to her in a complimentary manner.

"Thank you" Lightning beamed "Good luck though I'm sure you don't need it."

Lightning was rewarded with a beautiful smile and laugh. If she didn't already know the rider was gay and his partner was also a top rider, she'd be swooning. With a movement Lightning didn't even see, the pair were off cantering into the arena. If they crowd had been loud when Lightning left, they were now deafening. He was cantering around the arena raising his hand to the crowd as if he was already doing a victory lap. Lightning just laughed and kept walking Beau.

They made it to the back area and were immediately surrounded by a huge crowd. Cameras were flashing and people were madly calling out question. Beau snorted and started to back away in a hurry before Lightning could control him.

"Whoa steady old friend" Glorfindel appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the stallions bridle. He visibly relaxed although he was still snorting loudly. Lightning let out a breath and quickly swung off.

"Thanks Guy."

"You're welcome" Glorfindel smiled and kept a hold of the stallions bridle while Lightning took the reins over his head. Kayla appeared from nowhere and started to run up her stirrups. Lightning smiled at the young girl who returned it shyly. The groom had been a godsend in the last few days, she was a hard worker and never complained. The horses and gear looked immaculate and she always there without being asked. Lightning was going to miss her sorely when she returned with her own boss.

As soon as Kayla had a hold of Beau, Lightning was bowled over by her brother squeezing her into a hug.

"You're a show off" Callen laughed swinging Lightning around.

"You're just jealous" Lightning quipped hugging her brother tightly.

"Good job" her dressage coach clapped her on the back hard. Lightning winched but thanked him.

Suddenly it was like the world stood still and it was just her and Glorfindel facing each other. Without hesitation he grabbed her and pulled her into a deep kiss. Lightning froze for a second and let herself respond. She wrapped her hands around his neck and smiled into his lips. In the space of a moment, everything in her life suddenly felt perfect and right. As they pulled away from their kiss, she was suddenly aware of the commotion around her. People around them were laughing and cheering.

"Now don't get too excited, she still has a freestyle to do" the coach started to pull Lightning away from Glorfindel "And you now have a media conference as well, save it for later.

Lightning rubbed her eyes tiredly. She was sitting on Beau's back yawning and blinking rapidly trying to keep her eyes from stinging with exhaustion. It was nearly 9pm the next evening and they were second last to go for their freestyle. The night before and the entire day had been a whirlwind of activity. Sure enough Lightning had moved down to second place after the world champion, however there was only 1 percent separating them. Everyone had wanted an interview with her and Callen. They'd spent countless hours plastering smiles on their faces for cameras. People had come from all kinds of companies and offered the twins sponsorship, everything from clothes to gadgets that might be needed around the stables. Lightning shifted uncomfortably in her new breeches. The material still needed to be stretched into shape and it hugged her body almost uncomfortably.

For breeches that normally retailed close to $450 a pair, Lightning expected a lot more comfort from them. Beau tilted his head from side to side, jangling on the bits softly. Lightning shook in head in amusement at the stallion. He'd been fascinated with his own reflection in one of the mirrors in the warm up. His new browband sparkled with diamantes in the artificial light and he seemed to be enjoying the light that bounced off it. The amount of things that had been thrown at them today nearly seemed ridiculous. Her and Callen were going to need to pay for extra baggage on the way home to get it all there. They nearly had an entire new wardrobe just with clothes for around the stables.

And apart from all the commotion today, Lightning found herself missing Glorfindel. She hadn't seen or heard from him since her coach had pulled them apart from their very public kiss. She smiled to herself just thinking about it. She was never one for public affection but there something about him that just made her want to throw away all the inhibitions she had. For once she was happy to lose herself in the moment, even though she knew the moment was only going to be a brief one. When this was all over she knew she'd be on a plane back to Australia and him back to Europe. They'd keep in touch for awhile but he'd grow bored and they'd simply drift away. Left with only the pleasant memories of the great sex they shared briefly.

Yet somewhere in the nagging back of her mind, Lightning found herself occasionally day dreaming about something a little bit more. Those thoughts were quickly squashed by the realist side of her mentally smacking herself upside the head and saying wake up and smell the roses.

Sighing Lightning rolled her neck from side to side, trying to loosen the tense muscles. There was a lot of pressure on her to perform tonight. Callen had already gone and done his freestyle and was sitting comfortably in 4th. Even though he was out of medal contention he was still thrilled with his result. Tonight would be the first time she'd be riding to new music. Previously she'd had been riding to a mixture of music from various soundtracks. It had all been very bold and dramatic music and suited Beau well. However after a few major competitions with it a few riders had started to copy with a similar style of music. So Callen had splurged and paid someone to put them both together something new. The new music was very light, delicate and ethereal. The first time she rode to it at home, Lightning had been humming the music for weeks.

"Lightning!" her coach's loud voice broke into her day dreaming. He was waving at her madly near the entrance. From the sound of the crowd the last rider had just finished. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts she nudged Beau forward. As she made her way to her coach, she gave her a confident smile.

"Knock em dead kid."

Glorfindel drummed his fingers impatiently on his leg. Elladan was sitting next to him doing the same. Due to the placings from the previous day, Lightning was second last to go for the night. They had sat through hours of freestyles with the only highlight seeing Callen ride his. While Elladan's interest was mildly held throughout the night, Glorfindel was bored after the second horse.

"This is not a spectator sport" he had grumbled several times. Each time Elladan simply rolled his eyes at him and told him to be quiet.

"Oh look here is she" Elladan sat up straighter as Lightning trotted into the arena. The pair looked settled and confident. Lightning trotted a lap around the arena before coming back to a walk. She raised her hand as she turned around and bounced off into an easy canter. The music started playing after a pregnant pause. It took the pair a moment before they realised what was being played.

"Oh" Glorfindel felt a huge lump form in his throat. A beautiful soprano voice was singing the prayer to Elbereth. It was so simple yet so magnificent. A small sniff caught his attention and he quickly glanced at Elladan. The younger Elf had hastily wiped a tear from his face. The music paused as Lightning saluted. It was almost as if the entire stadium was holding their breath as she gathered the reins. The music started off with a light hearted string in a bouncing tune. The pair bounced off into an energetic trot which matched the music.

"Very cute" Elladan laughed "Pirates of the Caribbean."

Even from the distance you could see the smile on Lightning's face as they danced around the arena with the music. They flew through the movements with ease and grace looking totally comfortable. As the music gradually slowed Lightning eased Beau into a walk and was replaced by a soft string with another beautiful soprano voice. It was in Elvish and again Glorfindel felt a lump stick in his throat.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say she was playing with our minds" Glorfindel swallowed to hide the gruffness in his voice. The soprano was singing of the love between Aragon and Arwen. Elladan was silent yet the mistiness in his eyes was unmistakable. There wasn't a day go past where he missed his sister. Elrohir and him still celebrated her birthday every year, along with Aragon's.

The music changed again to a piano solo and the pair picked up a canter. The piano was joined by strings as Beau seemed to float across the arena.

Glorfindel was fixed on the pair as they cantered. The entire stadium was silent and not one person seemed to move through the performance. As Lightning and Beau came up the centreline one final time they pulled off several movements in a row with ease. Coming into the last pirouette Beau seemed to hesitate slightly and broke back to a walk for half a second. The crowd gasped and seemed to hold their breath. They completed the movement without any further problems. Lightning seemed to put her foot down and Beau flew down the last of the centreline in an extended canter which barely seemed to touch the ground. The music swelled in a huge crescendo and ended just as the pair halted and saluted. Lightning had barely finished her salute when she dropped the reins and threw herself around Beau's neck.

There was barely a dry eye in the crowd as they erupted into thunderous applause. Lightning was still hugging Beau's neck as the pair walked out of the arena calmly. When Lightning finally raised her face she quickly wiped her face and waved to the crowd. It only sent the entire stadium into louder cheering and applause.

Elladan and Glorfindel sat there quietly, oblivious to the noise around them. It was Glorfindel that broke the silence first.

"I lied when I said that this isn't a spectator sport."

Elladan just chuckled and got out of his seat.

"Let's go abuse our owner privileges and go congratulate her."

Lightning was laughing and crying at the same time as they left the arena. She didn't even care what they had just scored. Her time in the arena had been nothing short of magical. Despite the one minor hiccup in the last pirouette, Beau had been foot perfect the entire way. The back area was strangely empty except for Callen and the coach. Lightning went to swing off and the coach held up a hand to stop her.

"Stay on" he pointed at the scoreboard.

Lightning's jaw dropped at her score. They were far ahead of the next competitor and with only rider left to go, there were a guaranteed medal position.

Lightning put her feet back in the stirrups and gave Beau a quick nudge to start him walking. The stallion sighed heavily as if it was an enormous effort but complied. They made their way out to the now deserted warm up arena. Lightning stopped Beau and just stood there for a moment to collect her thoughts. A huge lump had formed in her throat and Lightning took a staggering breath in. She sniffed back a sob before letting herself succumb to the tears. Throwing her arms around Beau's neck Lightning let the emotions of the last few months just wash away in her tears. Tonight had been an amazing journey and again for that moment life just seemed to stand still in utter perfection.

"Oh Beau" Lightning sobbed running her hands up and down his neck "My dear friend, I wouldn't trade this moment for anything."

"Hey?"

Lightning jumped as Glorfindel emerged from the semi darkness. Hastily she wiped her face and managed a wobbly smile.

"Hey."

"Are you ok?" Glorfindel asked coming up towards the pair. He put his hand on Lightning's leg and gave it a light squeeze.

"I'm fine" Lightning quickly wiped her face again "This has just been such a rollercoaster of emotions the last few weeks I guess it just overtook me."

Glorfindel just smiled and gently ran his thumb over Lightning's leg. The simple gesture was enough to make pleasurable shivers run down her spine.

"Don't do that" Lightning tried to scold him lightly but couldn't help but smile.

"Do what?" Glorfindel asked innocently letting his hand go higher "If you get down I wouldn't have to be doing this."

"I can't" Lightning said dryly "Beau gets the shits if I get on and off too much. Last thing I'd need if I won something for him to buck me off in the middle of medal presentation."

"Oh he wouldn't do that, would you Beau?" Glorfindel scratched the stallion lightly on the neck. Beau simply pinned his ears back and pulled a face, making both of them laugh.

"I think there's your answer Guy" Lightning laughed as she gave Beau a good pat. Glorfindel just smiled and watched Lightning intensely.

"What?" Lightning cocked her head to one side.

"I missed you" Glorfindel said softly.

Lightning felt her breath hitch as those few words. Her heart stopped for a second before doing a happy flip flop. Her mind was screaming at her to get a grip and stop grinning like a school girl with a crush. This was all too soon and too crazy to be even contemplating. But Lightning couldn't help but let the words fall out of her mouth before her mind could stop them.

"I missed you too."

Lightning lent down and placed a soft kiss on his lips. Glorfindel grabbed her around the back of the neck and pulled her down into a deeper kiss. Lightning stifled the soft groan that was going to escape and forced herself to keep calm. Now was not the time to get turned on. The pair broke the kiss, both of them slightly breathless.

"This is crazy" Lightning murmured. Glorfindel just shrugged and flashed a brilliant smile.

"What's so crazy about it?"

Lightning bit her lip and tried to think of a response. Part of her wanted to blurt out her worries about how brief this was all going to be. However the major parts of her were saying just keep quiet and enjoy the time. In the end she simply smile and shrugged hoping it'd be a satisfactory response. However Glorfindel gave her a stern glare which spoke louder than words.

"This is just a brief affair nothing more" Lightning bit her lip harder "You'll go back to Europe and I'll go back to Australia."

"Then base yourself in Europe" Glorfindel shrugged casually "And stay with me and make it something more meaningful than a brief affair."

Those few words came like a slap in the face for Lightning. It was so casually thrown out there like it was a decision on what to have for dinner. The offer itself was tempting, even in such a brief mention.

"You make it sound so casual" Lightning said carefully. She wasn't sure where this conversation was about to go and she had ever intention to tread with care.

"I'm sure you and your brother have thought about it" Glorfindel said stroking Beau's neck "So just do it, Dan has a list of horses a few miles long that he wants to show you."

"We have, but it's impossible to do" Lightning said "We have our clients all in Australia and we just couldn't do it and"

Lightning didn't get to finish her sentence as Glorfindel pulled her in for a fierce kiss. Lightning froze for a second but found herself responding eagerly. They broke apart both breathless.

"Stop analysing it" Glorfindel said "Just enjoy tonight and we'll talk about the rest later."

"Tonight isn't going to end after the medal ceremony so you better make it enjoyable later then" Lightning smirked and before Glorfindel could respond she kicked Beau away. It was a light hearted moment to cool down the serious mood that arose. It was too big of an emotional night to add anything else to it.

"I aim to please Miss McKenzie" Glorfindel smirked back.

"And the silver medal goes to" the loudspeaker boomed across the packed stadium "Lightning McKenzie of Australia, riding Winter Lord."

Lightning woke up still grinning from her dream. Last night had been surreal, finishing only 0.3% behind first place. They had achieved more than she could have dreamed of. The after party had only wound down a few hours ago. Lightning had found herself being dragged from person to person, being introduced to some of the best riders in the world and their support crews. Glorfindel had stuck beside her all night, his arm rarely not wrapped her waist protectively.

The media attention immediately afterwards had been nearly over whelming. Everyone had wanted to speak to her and the get the first story. If it wasn't for her coach and the team manager she would still be locked in a room doing media conferences.

Glorfindel tightened his hold on her in his sleep. Lightning smiled and snuggled back into him. They'd wasted no time in getting back to his hotel after they could sneak away from everyone at the after party. Even though not much was said last night, the feelings in the air were so intense.

Lightning's first impulse was to run away before feelings got too out of hand. But there was just something there that made her want to sit tight on it for awhile and see where things went. She couldn't deny that they were feelings beyond a casual affair starting to form. The offer to move to Europe to stay with him had planted that seek deep into her mind. Yet she was still scared of things getting too intense and then everything falling apart. Then she would be back in the same position as she was a few weeks ago. No money and having to say goodbye to her horses yet again.

"I can almost hear you thinking its so loud" Glorfindel grumbled from his pillow "Stop thinking and go back to sleep."

"Sorry" Lightning smiled wryly "I'm wide awake with too much on my mind."

In an instant Glorfindel was on top of her and playfully pinned her arms down. Lightning squirmed in protest and tried to frown at him. Yet a smile kept playing on her lips.

"So tell me what's on your mind" Glorfindel said.

"I can't there's something big and hard poking into me and it's very distracting" Lightning tried to keep a straight face while trying to squirm from Glorfindel's iron grip.

"Then squirming like that isn't going to help it go away" Glorfindel laughed "And how can I help it? I'm lying beside a beautiful woman who blows my mind in every way possible."

Lightning blushed furiously. Her tongue was tied with how to respond to that kind of comment. She settled for poking her tongue out instead. Glorfindel just chuckled and bent down for a kiss. His lips brushed hers briefly before pulling back. Lightning groaned in protest.

"Now tell me what you're thinking about" Glorfindel whispered nuzzling into her neck. Lightning tried to squirm from out underneath him with no luck. Glorfindel stopped her squirming with a quick bite on the neck.

"I'm not letting you move until you tell me" Glorfindel's voice was muffled against her neck. Lightning tried to manoeuvre herself into a position that could be distracting. Glorfindel caught onto her the second she moved and effectively pinned her legs down as well.

"Nice try" he smirked and Lightning stuck her tongue out again.

"Tell me, or we'll be in bed all day like this" Glorfindel said firmly.

"Then I'll miss my plane" Lightning said and instantly regretted it. Glorfindel's face darkened for a moment, but then quickly went back to a playful grin.

"Then I'll have no choice but to fly you first class back to Switzerland with me."

Although his tone was light, there seemed to be a dark undertone to it. Like the very thought of Lightning going without him was going to be painful. Lightning sighed in defeat. This was going to be a hard conversation. She knew what she had to say, but it was going to hurt both of them.

"I need to go back to Australia."

Glorfindel sighed heavily and rolled off her. It took nearly a full minute of silence before he responded.

"I know you do, I just don't want you to."

Lightning fought back the lump that had risen in her throat. Her heart was screaming at her to take the last comment back, yet her mind was nodding saying it was the right thing to do. There was just too much at home to be done. There was race drives already booked for the day after she got home. All the young horses her and Callen had turned out needed to be bought back into work. The upgrade to the stables and arena had already begun. Nominations were in for young horses for dressage and jumping days. It was too crazy to even consider leaving Callen with it all.

Not to mention Lightning knew she needed some space to work out her own feelings.

"If you could come with me, would you?" Glorfindel asked.

Lightning couldn't help but stare at him. The weight behind the question was astronomical. There could be so much hidden meaning behind it that any answer could make things worse.

"Yes" Lightning said simply. It wasn't a lie. The offer was very tempting, but she just couldn't bring herself to get excited about a future that may only be very short. She didn't want to risk everything, only to come back home in 6 months broken hearted and empty handed.

Glorfindel sighed deeply and opened his arm. Lightning gladly snuggled into him, knowing it'd be the last time she'd be able to do so.

"I would never hurt you" Glorfindel murmured into Lightning's hair as he played with the loose strands "You're an amazing woman who deserves to be cherished forever."

"I know you'd never hurt me" Lightning fought to keep her voice neutral "It's just too much too soon."

"I can accept that" Glorfindel sighed "And I'll keep doing everything in my power to change your mind."

Lightning didn't respond. She just pulled him down into a passionate kiss. Clinging to him like he was her lifeline, Lightning let herself lose everything in the moment.

Standing in the airport lounge, Lightning clutched onto her carryon bag. Standing beside her Glorfindel was staring at the plane glumly. Callen had already bordered along with some other team members, giving them privacy. It was late at night so the entire lounge was deserted.

"Have you got everything?" Glorfindel asked for the 100th time. Lightning resisted rolling her eyes and simply nodded yes.

"Do you need anything?"

'Yes you walking on that plane with me' Lightning thought sadly. But she simply smiled and shook her head.

"I have enough things from sponsors to last me for the next 10 years" Lightning tried to make a light hearted joke but failed miserably. Glorfindel just sighed deeply.

"I have to board now" Lightning felt awkward standing there clutching at her bag.

"I know" Glorfindel said and opened his arms. Lightning threw herself into them and swallowed back the lump in her throat. She promised herself she wasn't going to cry in public.

"Call me when you land" Glorfindel clutched onto her tightly.

"Will do" Lightning murmured. The pair stayed in each other arms until a cross looking flight attendant called out to Lightning.

"You can miss your flight and I'll take you where ever you want to go" Glorfindel said quietly. Lightning let a half hearted laugh.

"Nice try Guy."

The pair broke apart and Lightning went to walk away. Glorfindel grabbed her hand quickly and spun Lightning back around. He kissed her deeply and clung to her.

"I'll miss you" he breathed into her lips. Lightning felt her resolve crumble around her. She opened her mouth to say she was going with him then quickly shut it again.

"I'll miss you more than you know" Lightning said stifling back a sob.

Before Glorfindel could reply, Lightning pulled away from him and started walking down the jetway. Glorfindel quickly pulled out his phone and typed a hasty text message as he walked away.

Lightning felt her phone vibrate in her pocket just before she stepped into the plane. Frowning she pulled it out of her pocket and read the message before the flight attendant could shoo her onto the plane.

_No matter what it takes, I'll wait for you. Forever won't be long enough._

A tear splattered onto the phone screen. Lightning didn't even realise she was crying until she hastily wiped her face down. She hurriedly boarded the plane still staring at the message.

**Authors Note**

**So it's nearly 40C outside, making it perfect weather for sitting in the air conditioner doing some writing! It's quite funny how sometimes you have something very obvious but don't realise it. I have horrid wireless internet as I live quite far out from anywhere. So it doesn't really work too well as the signal cuts in and out all the time. And I also have an IPhone.**

**It never dawned on me to use my Personal Hotspot on my phone as a modem. So now I have decent enough internet to upload things when I want to! **

**So hopefully this means more updates. I haven't abandoned this story and I never will. Sometimes I do get stuck on writing but I have it all mapped out in my head. I do also have several stories on the go that I write at once so sometimes one gets a bit more attention than the others. **

**So hopefully everyone enjoyed this chapter. Until next time **


	11. Chapter 11

Lightning sighed and lent against stable rake. Exhausted didn't even begin to explain how she felt. They'd been home only weeks and yet neither of the twins had stopped since they'd gotten home. Not only did the number of horses they had in training increase, there had been countless media conferences. They had appeared in numerous horse magazines, as well as mainstream media. The local and state newspapers had run stories about them throughout the entire games.

The public reaction had been enormous. Even non horsey people had been interested in them. The story of their rags to riches story was a big hit. Like their team members no one had realised they'd had no financial support from anyone but themselves right up until the games. It'd had made a very impressive story once the media had gotten whiff of it.

Yet despite all of the attention, life on the farm had remained the same. The horses still banged on their stable doors at 5am wanting to be fed. The young horses under saddle were feral after a few weeks off and gave quite a display when first bought back into work. Both Callen and Lightning had eaten their fair share of arena sand in the first week. Students had come in droves wanting lessons from both of them. Construction workers had gotten in the way of everything while building the new stable block and indoor arena.

Lightning had cut back on her race drivers considerably. For the moment she was only driving for her parents on night meetings. Most nights inbetween races she was found asleep in the truck and slept the entire way there and back. Both her parents had commented on that they were working too hard, yet they both shrugged them off. For the first time in years they were financially stable. It'd be a long hard road and neither of them were willing to give anything up.

The noise of the quad bike caught Lightning's attention. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of Kayla zooming around on it doing feeds, the grin never leaving her face. 2 dogs ran alongside her, while the third was perched in front of Kayla. The young girl had called Lightning only 3 days after they'd gotten home and asked for a job. She was over the long European winters and wanted a major change in her life. Lightning had happily agreed and within 2 days she had been there. Kayla was the sole reason a lot of things were getting done around the place. She always worked hard, never complained and was always 3 steps ahead of both of them. Tonight the three of them were going down to the pub for a dinner out.

A loud buzz interrupted Lightning's thoughts as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. It was a message from Glorfindel. She couldn't help but grin like an idiot when she read it.

_Good evening sexy, what do you think of my suit tonight for yet another of Dan's tedious parties?_

The picture attached was of him on the bed in nothing but silk boxers and a cheeky grin. Lightning typed away quickly on her phone.

_Very fitting, however I'd go with black ones if it's a formal event; you want to be classy don't you?_

Lightning was still smiling as she shoved her phone back in her pocket. The text messages were a constant throughout the days. No matter how tired she was or how bad the day was going, he always managed to make her smile. At night when the loneliness set in the most, she could always be comforted with just a simple text message. She'd thought the interest of his part would have died off by now, but he had shown no signs of it. If nothing else he was dropping more hints than ever for her to say the word and he'd be there in a heartbeat.

Turning back to the stable, Lightning quickly flicked her rake through it to finish off. The horse was eating quietly in the corner paying no attention to her. Despite her exhaustion, she was looking forward to a night out. The 3 of them desperately needed to let their hair down, even if it was only for dinner at the pub. Her phone buzzed again and before she could fish it out, Callen called loudly from the next stable.

"Stop sending dirty messages to your boyfriend and help me finish their damn boxes."

"Go fuck yourself" Lightning called back. She heard a muttered comment that she couldn't quite make out, but chose to ignore it. They were both exhausted and Callen was extremely snappy when he was tired. The last week they'd done nothing but argue over every tiny detail to do with running the stables. Lightning was ready to throttle him by the end of it, she was only hoping tonight would improve his mood.

The pair of them flew through the rest of the stables and only just missed beating Kayla inside. She ran into the shower before either one of them could make it. She poked her tongue out at both of them before locking the door, giggling as she went.

"Brat" Callen called out although he was laughing.

"We need another bathroom" Lightning laughed along with him, relieved to see him even slightly more relaxed. It was true though, their house was a small 3 bedroom with only one bathroom and a small kitchen. It had been the original house on the property when their parents first bought it 30 years ago. It was a beautiful old Queenslander type house with wrap around verandas. Most of the house was still in its original state however their parents had added air conditioning in the bedrooms to get through the hot summers.

"Dogs!" Callen whistled loudly. He didn't have to wait long before the 3 dogs raced inside, all panting loudly.

"Hey!" Lightning opened her arms as she knelt down. Her dog Fox launched himself into her arms panting in excitement. The little dog was a mix of Pomeranian and some other small dog. He had the colouring and markings of a fox. He had just wandered onto the property one day and made himself at home. The other two dogs were involved in a mock wrestle with Callen, both growling loudly. The pair were brothers, black Labradors who had been destined for the pound before Callen bought them home. Ewok and Chewy, they had been named simply for the fact that movie was on TV that night.

With Fox in her arms, Lightning disappeared into her room. Fox jumped out of her arms and nestled into the unmade bed as soon as they had got there. Lightning stepped around the pile of dirty clothes that was threatening to form an avalanche. Opening her wardrobe she pulled out some respectable jeans that weren't full of holes, or soiled from being in the stables. While searching for a shirt her phone buzzed in her pocket again.

"Oops" Lightning said as she fished it out. She'd forgotten about the text she'd gotten earlier.

_So that's a no to going completely naked?_

Lightning snorted at the message. She quickly flicked back to the old one, where Glorfindel was suggesting he went naked.

_I'd advise against it, last time I went out in public naked I got arrested._

Smirking she put the phone back down. Lightning knew she'd get a rather big bite from him with a comment like that. Slowly but surely over the last few weeks they'd both started to reveal bits and pieces of each other's lives. Glorfindel had tried a few times to try and pry out of her details of her marriage but Lightning always managed to steer him away from that subject.

The phone vibrated again.

_Do tell?_

Lightning grinned and just shook her head.

_Nope you'll have to wait, I have to get in the shower_

And as if on cue, Lightning heard the shower switch off and bolted out of her bedroom. She squeezed past Kayla just before Callen managed to get her foot in the door.

"Mine!" Lightning declared as she slammed the door shut and quickly locked it. Callen was swearing furiously on the other side of the door. Lightning stepped under the water and quickly scrubbed herself down. The temptation to stay in the shower was a big one though. They only had a small hot water system and Callen would murder her if she used the last of the hot water. The warm water gently caressed away the aches and pains of another hard day at work. Her back ached from a spectacular fall from a newly broken in youngster who had decided to shoot across the arena without any warning.

Reluctantly stepping out of the shower, Lightning wrapped a towel around herself. Opening the door she stepped aside for Callen to barge in and made her way back to her room. Fox was snoring peacefully on her bed and didn't even flick an ear at her as she came in. Before getting dressed she picked up her phone and smiled at the text message she had received.

_So did you think about me in the shower?_

Lightning bit her lip and tried not to sigh. She wanted to write back she always thought about him. Any spare moment in the day was generally spent to her thoughts wandering to him. Either wondering what he was doing on the other side of the world, or thinking about the time they spent in Kentucky together. Yet she couldn't bring herself to write that to him.

_With my brother banging on the door hollering at me, it's a bit hard to think of anything!_

Satisfied with her answer, Lightning set about getting dressed. Callen was banging around in the bathroom so no doubt he'd be ready soon as well. Knowing Kayla she'd already be sitting on the couch waiting for both of them. Or already in the car getting ready to beep the horn in impatience.

The car horn blasted from outside and Lightning couldn't help but laugh to herself. Always way ahead of them. Lightning grabbed her phone which buzzed in her hand. Looking at the message made her heart skip a beat.

_I'm always thinking of you._

Lightning simply stared at her phone for a long moment biting her lip. She had no idea in how to reply to it. It was one of the most emotionally forward messages that he had ever sent. She simply locked the phone and marched out of her bedroom. Tonight was going to be one of those nights to simply get blind rotten drunk and forget everything for a little while.

Glorfindel plastered what he hoped to pass for a pleasant smile as he shook hands with yet another business associate. The man spoke in rapid German, almost too fast for Glorfindel to understand. He however got the gist of the conversation and nodded. The man clapped Glorfindel on the back before moving on.

Sighing, he grabbed another glass of champagne from a waiter that was floating around. Elladan had decided out of the blue the week before that they needed cheering up. So he threw one of his grand parties inviting everyone they knew. Elrohir had done his usual disappearing act right beforehand, claiming he was needed elsewhere. So it was left for Glorfindel to deal with a week of endless preparation.

Glorfindel knew this party was meant to be to help cheer him up. It'd been 6 weeks since he watched Lightning walk on the plane back to Australia. 6 week of endless boredom, only broken up by the text message he was getting from her. Elladan had tried to get him involved in looking at horses for her. But after a few days it was apparent Glorfindel knew nothing of the type of horses Elladan had in mind for the twins. He'd already bought 5 horses for them both, all were waiting in quarantine.

Wading through the endless sea of immaculate dressed people, Glorfindel finally found himself out on the balcony. He fished his phone from his pocket to check for any text message. It was becoming a habit to be caught staring at his phone, as if he was willing it for a message to come through. However the phone was simply blank with no new text messages. He hadn't heard from Lightning since he'd sent the last one to her. He loosened off his bow tie. Why Elladan always made these gathering black tie events he would never know.

Leaning against the balcony he looked over the immaculate gardens. In all the years not much had changed in Imladris except for a few modern touches. It had all the modern facilities, and even a gaming room. However on spring nights when the moon was full and the stars were shining, you could sit there and almost be taken back in the centuries.

"Oh hello Guy, I didn't know you'd be out there" purred a voice from inside the doorway.

Glorfindel tried not to grimace. The voice belonged to Andrea, a fashion designer he dated very briefly a few years ago. She had not taken too kindly to being told he was no longer interested in her. Especially when it had only been a few weeks into the relationship. She had pursued Glorfindel ever since, always managing to make her way into functions where she knew he'd be. He usually managed to dodge her quite easily, but tonight she had him cornered.

"Andrea it's lovely to see you" Glorfindel plastered the fakest smile he could imagine. She strolled over to him in ridiculous height heels with her skin tight dress hugging her bony figure. Placing over exaggerated air kisses on his cheeks she smiled broadly.

"How was America darling? I saw yourself and Dan got into a new little business venture with some horses."

'I bet you did' Glorfindel thought sourly. The woman probably was the one who had the camera stalking him the afternoon Beau had gotten hurt. Not to mention her stalker tendencies to always seem to know where Glorfindel was.

"It was lovely, very interesting especially meeting the McKenzie twins. I hear they're quite legendary" Glorfindel replied politely and took a long swallow of his champagne.

"Yes I did see you have a public moment with the girl" Andrea's voice dripped with poison even though she kept a smile on her lips.

"Lightning, and yes I did she is quite remarkable in all ways" Glorfindel chuckled to himself. He knew how to push Andrea's button and right now he was doing a marvellous job of it. A snarl flashed over her face before she had a change to hide it. Ever the actress though, Andrea managed to compose herself within seconds.

"You must pass her contact details onto me" Andrea said sweetly. Glorfindel tried not to choke on the champagne in his mouth. That would be like putting yourself into the jaws of a shark saying 'Please eat me, I'm tasty.'

"I don't think that's very appropriate of me to do that" Glorfindel tried to tactfully answer the question. Though there no doubt in his mind Andrea already had her contact details and was waiting for the right moment to use them.

"Oh but you must!" Andrea smiled even wider "I have a new line of clothing coming out in the equestrian world and I'd love her to model it for me."

Glorfindel couldn't help but stare. Of course Andrea did, how stupid was it for him not to realise she'd do something as cunning as this. It'd make her millions of dollars of course, but it was a sneaky trick to try and get back into his life. While she was at it, she'd eliminate the competition along the way.

"I wasn't aware you were interested in Equestrian" Glorfindel said bluntly. His champagne glass was now empty so he motioned to the waiter who'd been hovering close to the window for some more. Andrea helped herself and handed Glorfindel a glass, purposely brushing her hand against his.

"Of course not" Andrea waved her hand dismissively "However I did some market research after seeing you and her plastered all over some of the equestrian website and it's a very lucrative market."

"Andrea I don't think Lightning would be interested" Glorfindel said bluntly and left the unspoken threat linger in the air.

'And if you touch or anyway harm you, I'll be coming after you.'

"Guy don't be so frosty, I'm sure she'd love it" Andrea sidled up closer to Glorfindel brushing her body against his "And I'm sure I'd love working with you again."

"Andrea" Glorfindel started again but was cut off by his phone ringing.

"Guy" he snapped into the phone without looking at the caller ID.

"Well duh, of course it's Guy" slurred a very thick Australia accent on the other line "I press Guy and tada! You're here on the phone."

"Lightning?" Glorfindel blinked in momentary confusion. She never called him before it was only text messages.

"No it's the other really hot Australian sex goddess you know" Lightning snickered on the other end of the phone. Followed by a muffled thud and a string of cursing coming from her.

"Hang on" Glorfindel tried not to laugh. Lightning had perfect timing.

"You'll have to excuse me Andrea" Glorfindel smiled smugly "I have to take this in private."

"Of course" Andrea's smile slipped and her tone was frosty. She turned on her heel and stomped back inside. Glorfindel made his way down the stairs and into the garden for complete privacy.

"Are you ok?" Glorfindel asked as soon as he was out of earshot.

"I am awesome" Lightning sang out the last word loudly "I am so very drunk."

Glorfindel couldn't help but laugh. Not only was it good to hear her voice, it was good to hear her in such high spirits as well.

"Why are you so very drunk?" Glorfindel asked still laughing.

"Because my dumb arse brother decided that he could out drink me" Lightning started to giggle "So now he's still at the pub, probably lying in a puddle of his own vomit."

"And where are you?" Glorfindel raised an eyebrow. From the various text messages he'd gotten over the week, the twins had been flat out busy. Most nights Lightning was in bed asleep by about 8pm.

"I'm walking home" Lightning declared proudly "Because I am awesome and I'm still standing, well kind of."

Glorfindel shook his head. While he didn't know exactly where they lived, he'd gotten the feeling they were a fair way out of town. And for Lightning to be walking home, it was going to be a long night for her.

"Let me call you a cab Lightning" Glorfindel checked his watch and frowned. It was very early evening where he was, making it very early in the morning for Lightning.

"No cabs here in the middle of butt fuck nowhere" Lightning said "And it's a nice night for a walk."

"What time is it there?" Glorfindel asked.

"Ummm early?" Lightning's voice was muffled as she pulled the phone away from her ear "Yep it's 3am."

Glorfindel shook his head in amusement.

"Please tell me it's not a far walk for you."

"It's a 10 minute drive so like an hour walk" Lightning said "So that's why I called you."

"Didn't you have anywhere closer to stay?" Glorfindel asked "I do not like the idea of you walking home."

"I did but" Lightning dropped her voice to a whisper "He wanted to get into my pants and I was like no way man, I'm all for Guy and no one else."

"Oh Lightning" Glorfindel couldn't help but laugh at her. She must have been extremely drunk in the manner she was speaking.

"So I haven't had sex with anyone else" Lightning declared proudly "Well except my vibrator but that doesn't count, how about you?"

"No Lightning I haven't had sex with anyone else" Glorfindel said dryly. Secretly he was pleased though, her comment about for him and no one else made his heart soar. She'd been fairly closed off feelings wise with him so this was a new revelation. Even if it was only drunk declarations.

"You know what Guy?" Lightning slurred "I've decided I'm an idiot."

"I don't think you're an idiot" Glorfindel said.

"Yeah but I am so shoosh and let me finish" Lightning scolded "You know when you sent me that text before I got onto the plane to come home?"

"Yes" Glorfindel said simply. He felt his heart skip a beat, he wasn't sure where this was about to go.

"The smart thing to do would have been to turn around and come right back to you" Lightning sounded as if she was starting to get choked up "But I'm an idiot because I'm too scared of getting hurt I just shut myself off to the best thing that was happening to me in my life."

Glorfindel didn't know what to say. His heart was in his throat from excitement and also trepidation on what was going to come next.

"So I ran back home and threw myself into work" Lightning paused "And then I realised tonight that when Andy tried to kiss me, I felt nothing with him like I did with you. You just set my world on fire and then I pissed on it to douse it out. I miss you so much and I want you here right now."

"You didn't piss on anything Lightning" Glorfindel practically ran out of the garden and back into the house. He was getting strange looks from the crowd on how quickly he was walking. He made his way to the study while trying to keep his voice fairly neutral.

"I wish I was there too. I'd be there in a heartbeat if you'd say yes."

"Then yes I want you here" Lightning said "Oh fuck!"

Glorfindel could hear a siren in the background. He frowned and then he heard Lightning burst into giggles.

"I got pulled over by the cops" she whispered into the phone "I must be drunk walking."

"What the hell are you doing Lightning?" Glorfindel hear a voice yelling in the background "Its 3am and you're walking down the middle of the road."

"It's Matt" Lightning was still giggling "He's my copper friend."

"Give me that phone" the voice belonging to Matt growled. Glorfindel heard a slight muffled commotion and Lightning yelling in the background.

"Hey mate come pick your drunk arse sister up" Matt said into the phone. It took Glorfindel a moment to realise he must have thought it was Callen.

"I'd love to but I live in Switzerland" Glorfindel chuckled dryly "I'm Guy."

"Oh sorry" Matt laughed "I thought you were Callen, do you know where he is?"

"According to Lightning, still at the pub lying in a puddle of his own vomit" Glorfindel said. He'd booted his laptop up and was waiting for the airlines page to load.

"Great" Matt grumbled "Come on trouble maker I'll drop you home, say goodbye to your boyfriend."

There was a few muffled thuds before Lightning came back on the line.

"I'm getting a ride in the police car again" Lightning was giggling "Matt's going to be a good boy and drop me home."

"I'm glad to hear it" Glorfindel said shaking his head "Have a good night sleep."

"I will" Lightning giggled again "I miss you so much, I wish you were here."

Glorfindel sighed happily, it was great to hear those words coming from her.

"I miss you too."

Lightning hung up the phone just as Glorfindel clicked on the screen to buy a ticket for the next flight to Australia. He didn't even look at the price, he just put his credit card number in and hit next. While the ticket was printing he went into his room and hastily threw together an overnight bag. He stripped off his suit and threw on a pair of jeans and shirt. Slinging the bag over his shoulder he marched back out into the party.

Elladan frowned as he saw his appearance, but then his handsome face split into a huge grin when he saw the ticket in Glorfindel's hand.

"About time" Elladan slapped him on the back.

"Have fun without me" Glorfindel smirked and strode out. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Andrea shooting daggers at him. He gave her a cheeky wave before walking out the door.

**Authors Note**

**Tada! Another chapter, and as always very long in the process so please forgive me! I hope you all enjoy it even if there isn't that much action.**

**Quick note, I forgot to put in my last one. Lightning's freestyle music is Prayer to Eleberth as it was in the Fellowship of the Ring for the entrance. The trot music was Up is Down from Pirates of the Carribbean 3. Walk music was Evenstar from Two Towers. And the last piece was Nero by Two Steps from Hell. All is great music I highly recommend looking them up!**

**I did get asked before if Lightning knew Glorfindel's real name. But no she doesn't, its the least confusing way I could write it if that makes sense?**

**Thank you to my lovely readers and followers for sticking with me.**


	12. Chapter 12

Glorfindel stepped out of the airport to a gush of cold air. The wind was ferociously cold to his surprise, making him pull his jacket up higher. He hiked his bag over his shoulder and strode to the nearest taxi rank. The disinterested driver simply grunted at his instructions and pulled away from the airport. Within minutes they pulled into a car dealership and Glorfindel knew the car he wanted the minute he stepped out.

The car salesman barely knew what to say when he walked in. It was still early morning on a Sunday morning and Glorfindel had walked in with a credit card and bought a brand new top of the range car. The sleek black Landcruiser had all things a luxury model car would. The first thing he did was while sitting in the new car is call Callen.

The phone rang twice before he briskly answered it. Although it was still early in the morning his voice showed no traces of sleep.

"Hello this is Callen speaking."

"Callen, it's Guy" Glorfindel said. There was a long pause before Callen spoke.

"Is Lightning's phone broken?" his tone was suspicious.

"No, I need something from you" Glorfindel said "And you can't tell Lightning."

"What do you need?" Callen still sounded suspicious and the small surprise couldn't be hidden in his tone.

"Your address and directions if the GPS doesn't work."

There was a long pause. It took so long Glorfindel pulled the phone from his ear briefly to make sure they were still connection. Finally he heard what sounded like a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad you cracked first, I'd hate to try and keep all the horses in work myself" Callen chuckled. Glorfindel smiled in relief. The 12 hour express flight had given him plenty of time to think on how to manage the surprise of him being there. It hadn't taken him long to figure out a major flaw in his plan. Although he had a rough idea of where the twins lived, he couldn't find an exact address. Despite now having a website and all their information on there, the address had been omitted. Glorfindel nearly screamed in frustration at the computer and no amount of research was helping him. Without Callen's help it wasn't going to be much of a surprise. Although they'd spoken throughout the time in the US, he wasn't sure how well Callen would receive the idea of him being there.

"Where are you?" Callen asked.

"The international airport" Glorfindel replied.

"Ok, you have about a 2 hour drive ahead of you" Callen began to rattle off instructions on where to not to go "But then you have the slight problem of neither of us are going to be home in about an hour."

Glorfindel grit his teeth in frustration. He'd just flown halfway around the world, gotten his hopes up to see Lightning. Only to be told it was going to put off for at least a day. He felt his temper start to fray.

"However" Callen continued "You'll drive past the trotting track where we'll be all day on the last turn off about 4km before our place. Ring me when you get here and I'll meet you in the carpark. Bring some Australian money because you'll need to pay for admission."

If Glorfindel could reach through the phone and throttle the other twin he would. The smug tone and extended pauses in his conversation were easy to be very misleading. He could almost hear the wicked grin in his tone.

"Thank you, I'll see you in a few hours" Glorfindel hung up the phone. The new car roared into life and Glorfindel raised an eyebrow at his new purchase. Perhaps he didn't really need the huge 4 wheel drive; however it did look very impressive. Pulling out of the car dealership, Glorfindel shuffled uncomfortably as he manoeuvred the car onto the left hand side of the road. This was going to be an interesting drive.

The city around him quickly disappeared within the first hour of driving. The further he got out the more open the fields became. Various livestock littered the countryside, all fat and content from the green grass that seemed to grow in abundance. Many paddocks where lined with expensive white fencing and herds of horses behind them. As his GPS informed him 500 meters before the turn off towards the twin's place he couldn't help but notice the amount of horse floats in front of him also turning off. Many had racing gigs on the back of them. As he turned off he hit a sudden halt. The floats in front of him were all stopped and lined up along the road. He called Callen while he was waiting.

"Are you here?" he answered quickly.

"No there's a line up of horse trailers up the road" Glorfindel huffed in frustration.

"Yeah I know, it'll be gone in a minute" Callen explained "Dad is an idiot and missed the gate because he has a new truck and doesn't know how to drive it yet."

"Thank you Callen I heard that" yelled a voice in the background. Glorfindel instantly recognized it as Bill McKenzie; even though they'd only spoken briefly he hadn't forgotten him. He couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

"I will see you in a minute then" Glorfindel hung up the phone and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. Sudden nervous butterflies appeared into his stomach with no warning. Although Lightning had said she'd wanted him there while she was drunk, he wasn't sure of the reception he was going to get. Today she'd be sober and fully aware of what she was saying. Although she'd slowly been letting snippets of feelings out, she was still very closed off. No matter how much he'd tried to pry from her in their conversation she was very clever at changing the subject abruptly. Most with naughty text messages that made Glorfindel nearly go crazy with desire sometimes. There were days he didn't know what had come over him. He felt so young and carefree around her.

His thoughts were cut short as the line of cars in front of him started to move. In a few minutes he'd arrived at the gate. A pair of teenagers shyly stepped up to the car, both not bothering to hide their admiration for his car.

"Gold coin donation for entry" the older one smiled shyly. She was a tall and skinny girl of about 13 years old. She had sun kissed skin and light blonde hair. Glorfindel was almost reminded of what he thought Lightning might have looked like when she was younger. The youngest of the pair openly stared at Glorfindel with her mouth slightly agape.

"Your Lightning's new boyfriend" the youngest of the pair blurted out. The older teenager looked mortified and gave her a not too subtle kick in the shins.

"Don't be rude" she hissed.

Glorfindel inwardly cringed at being recognized so easily. The element of surprise was so quickly slipping through his fingertips. But he simply slipped on an easy smile.

"Yes I am and it's a surprise that I'm here, are you able to not tell Lightning that you've seen me?"

The pair nodded vigorously and Glorfindel let a small sigh of relief. He gave the pair the first note he pulled from his wallet and waved away when they offered him the change. He pulled into the nearest carpark and before he could make it out of the car Callen was by his side.

"Of all the days you had to come you picked this one" he grumbled but had a smile on his face.

The first thing Glorfindel noticed was how ragged he looked. Although well dressed and looking handsome in a simple outfit of tight jeans and a polo shirt that read 'McKenzie Racing' there was an air of exhaustion around him. He had lost weight and through his sunglasses Glorfindel could notice the large dark circles under his eyes. His normally tanned skin looked pale and for the first time Glorfindel saw the smallest amount of blonde regrowth at the root of his hair. Compared to the Callen he'd met in America, this was nearly looking like a different person.

"If only you knew how hard it is to get a flight to Australia on a whim" Glorfindel laughed. He locked the door of the car as Callen led him away.

"I'm guessing that isn't a rental?" Callen asked giving the car a quick glance over. He looked slightly envious at the sleek black car.

"Why rent when you can buy?" Glorfindel simply shrugged. He'd planned on giving the car to Lightning when he left Australia so it was never going to be a waste of money in his mind. Whether she accepted the gift was going to be another question.

"True" Callen shrugged "Come with me I'm getting breakfast for everyone, Lightning is helping Dad with the horses but she'll be getting on her first drive in a few minutes so you're safely hidden for now."

"Thank you" Glorfindel said and he truly meant it. Callen could have easily blown him off and told him to make his own plans. However he'd gone out of his way to help him keep the surprise a secret for his twin sister.

"So what made you come here?" Callen asked.

"Lightning called me up while she was walking home from the pub the other night" Glorfindel smiled at the memory "She said you'd passed out drunk and was walking home. Then she said she missed me and wanted me here. That was all I needed to do to drop everything to be here with her."

Callen glanced sideways at Glorfindel with a ghost of a smile on his face. He said nothing as the pair walked towards the canteen.

Glorfindel couldn't help but notice how different this world of the twins seemed to be. He'd barely noticed as he drove in how small this racing club really was. The buildings were outdated and slightly run down. His sleek new car stood out in the car park among the older cars. From what he could see of the horse floats and trucks were the same. Horses pulling racing gigs started to make their way out onto the track. There were no shining brand new gigs here or fancy gear, just well looked after horses in well worn gear. Glorfindel caught sight of Lightning's red hair under a brightly painted helmet. Her feet were dangling and she was chatting to the driver next to her.

"Guy, what do you want?" Callen broke into his thoughts. He was standing at the counter. A middle aged lady was standing at the counter with a tolerant smile on her face. At the back of the canteen a group of females around Callen's age were standing around. A few wore flirty smiles on their face, yet another one scowled at him heavily.

"Whatever you're getting" Glorfindel answered.

"Guy this is Maggie, she keeps us all fed and in line" Callen introduced him to the older lady.

"Hi" Glorfindel couldn't help but smile. The tolerant smile Maggie wore was one of authority but motherly kindness. Glorfindel had no doubt that she ruled the kitchen with absolute power and nothing was ever over looked. Yet she would watch out for anyone and help out where she could. The girls at the back busied themselves with a mere look from Maggie as Callen asked for their usual breakfast. Callen barely gave a backwards glance to the girls that were smiling at him and continued to talk to Maggie.

Within minutes the pair had a pile of drinks and huge burgers filled with bacon and eggs. Glorfindel balanced an armful of drinks of his hands as they walked to the truck. Glorfindel made sure to keep on the side of Callen away from the track. He didn't have too much to worry about as the horses were on the far side of the track walking circles behind a car.

"What Lightning is doing now is just a trial" Callen explained as he noticed Glorfindel watching the horses "Basically it qualifies a horse to race or takes a ban off them if they have one. That's one of Dad's good horses who have had a few months off after a small hoof injury."

"Do you drive much as well? Glorfindel asked never taking his eyes off Lightning. The horse she was driving was standing calmly as she was at his head adjusting something. A steward in a red coat held the horse for her and appeared to be having a conversation with her.

"Not as much as I used to" Callen screwed his nose up slightly "Lightning is a much braver driver than I am, not to mention a lot lighter than me which gives her a big advantage."

"How so?" Glorfindel turned to face the other twin. He'd imagined Callen to be the braver of the two and it was a surprise for him to be admitting otherwise. The young man always wore a look of smug confidence no matter what he was doing. He could imagine the rivalry between him and his twin could be borderline madness sometimes.

"Well it's similar to being a jockey while riding Thoroughbreds, the less weight they have to pull, the less strain on the horse" Callen explained "And Lightning is a hell of a lot braver about squeezing into tight spaces than I am. I got tipped out a few years ago and I'm just not that confident doing it anymore. I'll drive at home or the few quiet ones at small races but that's about it for me."

"Fair enough" Glorfindel said.

They'd arrived at the huge white truck with McKenzie Racing painted on the side. Immediately a few people in matching shirts swooped on Callen and grabbed the food off them. They barely took a second glance at Glorfindel as they grabbed their drinks from him. They then disappeared into the back of the truck to eat. Glorfindel couldn't help but let out a short laugh at the quickness of the action. It was like being set upon by a swarm and gone before you knew what was really happening.

"Starving stablehands" Callen laughed with Glorfindel "Hey Dad!"

Glorfindel couldn't help but start when he first saw him as he poked his head out from the back of the truck. At first glance he could have been Lightning's biological father easily. He had fair red hair, heavily freckled and tan skin from being in the sun for years. But the similarities stopped there to the keen observer. He grinned a mischievous grin which made him look much younger than his early 50's.

"Well I can't say I'm surprised" he jumped off the tailgate and strode over to the pair with a confident ease. Again Glorfindel saw the small movement of someone from long ago that he couldn't quite place. He shook Glorfindel's hand firmly, his grip a little tighter than needed as if to challenge him. Glorfindel returned the handshake with the same force, causing Bill to smile wider.

"It's a pleasure to meet you in person Guy."

"Likewise Bill" Glorfindel returned the smile easily. He could see that Bill was going to be a likeable man, providing he did the right thing by his daughter. Today was going to be a test to see if Glorfindel was worthy for his daughter. Although the smile on the man's face as welcoming, Glorfindel had no doubt that he'd rather face a Balrog again than provoke his wrath. The warning hidden behind his deep grey eyes said more than words could. It was the same look Callen had challenged him with back in America.

"What a pleasant surprise Lightning is going to get, I take it she doesn't know?" Bill asked. Both Callen and Glorfindel shook their heads.

"Then I have the perfect idea to really surprise her" Bill grinned even wider "We've sponsored the main race today and I need someone to present the trophy."

Glorfindel felt a flutter of excitement in his body as Bill continued explain his plan. Lightning was going to be in for a big surprise.

Lightning climbed wearily out of the gig with shaky legs. She had a drive in every race today and the exhaustion felt greater than normal. She resisted the urge to look at her phone which was tucked into the side of her bag. She'd heard nothing from Glorfindel for nearly an entire day. The wild night at the pub had been a blur and she still felt hungover from it. Looking at her phone's call history she knew she had called him sometime during the night. However her texts since then had gone unanswered. Every time she looked at her blank phone she felt a stab of loneliness. She had no idea what she'd said on the phone but whatever it was it mustn't had been good. Deep down she had the feeling that this might happen, but she never wanted to bring herself to actually thinking about it.

Callen had left her a drink sitting on her bag but other than that she hadn't seen her brother all morning. Her father had been barely seen all morning as well, but that was fairly normal for him at the races. Especially since this was the race meeting that her parent's ran themselves and sponsored. It was their way of giving back to the small community they lived in. The harness racing community was a poor one in their area. Today was the only racing event of the year where any of them had a chance of winning any kind of real money. All the big trainers based close to the city didn't feel it was worth their time to come so far out.

Drinking her Gatorade Lightning slung her bag over her back and made her way to her next drive. It was the one she was most dreading simply because it was a drive for Andy's father. She was sober enough to remember the kiss they'd had at the pub. And how she shoved him away when he tried to push for more. Andy was no fool; he knew not to push Lightning when she didn't want something. However the hurt look on his face made Lightning feel guilty for doing it.

Sighing Lightning slowed her pace. Andy and her had a history back when they were younger. They'd dated on and off for quite a few years and had countless casual nights as well. Andy had always wanted more but Lightning never let herself get caught up with him. She could never place why her gut screamed at her not to go there. Andy was everything you would want for a partner. Handsome, funny, hard working and extremely loyal. Lightning had gotten bitter comments from other woman that had chased him that she didn't deserve someone as good as him. It was true though. Living in such a small town the marriage opportunities were small. The good men were chased in almost an obsessive fashion to snag a good one for themselves. But Lightning had never bothered which made the male friends she had respect her. It was only her ex husband that pursued her ruthlessly and made Lightning feel like she was actually wanted instead of just accepted as one of the guys. Her relationship with Andy was one of those relationships were everyone assumed Lightning would finally settle down and realise what was in front of her. However the opportunity never did and Lightning just couldn't bring herself to search for feelings that weren't there.

Thankfully when she came to their float, it was only Andy's father there. Lightning inwardly sighed with relief and greeted Murray with a warm smile. He'd been a close friend of her father's for years and often was referred to as Uncle Murray.

"Drive him well my dear, not that you need any instructions" he smiled at her and handed her the reins. Lightning simply nodded as she climbed into the gig. He held the horse's head as Lightning arranged herself in the uncomfortable plastic seat. She nodded to him as soon as she was settled and turned the horse towards the track. Murray patted the horse as they drove off and wished them luck. Lightning steered the horse onto the track and let him jog along slowly on a loose rein. She'd driven him many times before and he was an easy and quiet drive. Something she was now grateful for as her previous drive had pulled like a steam train. Her arms felt like dead weights from trying to hold him back.

Dangling her feet out of the sulky Lightning looked down and tried unsuccessfully to hide a yawn. She was so tired and just couldn't wait for today to be over. This was normally her favourite meeting of the entire year but she just couldn't muster any enthusiasm today for it. The after party that always happened down at the local pub was one of the biggest nights of the year the pub had. Most years both Lightning and Callen had ended up blind drunk and having the best night. This year Lightning could only hope to keep her eyes open long enough to make an appearance and then disappear home to bed.

"Lightning" Andy's voice broke into her thoughts. Lightning looked over and found him jogging his horse beside hers.

"Hi" Lightning managed a lopsided smile. Inwardly she cringed at the bare effort she tried to put into making the smile look normal

"You look shattered" Andy returned the lopsided smile awkwardly.

"Feel it too" Lightning said as she yawned again. She went back to watching the ground rush past her feet as the silence stretched between the pair awkwardly.

"Listen I want to apologise for the other night" Andy began making Lightning want to sigh in frustration. She didn't want him to apologize; she just wanted to forget it ever happened.

"You know that's not necessary" Lightning lifted her shoulder in a slight shrug "We're mates that fuck occasionally and sometimes wires get crossed."

Sneaking a glance over to Andy, Lightning knew she'd hurt his feelings even more by what she had just said. His face briefly twisted into a mask of pain before he smoothed his expression over. The lopsided smile was back on his face with what looked to be a huge effort on his behalf. Lightning tried not to sigh in frustration and squashed down the anger that quickly bubbled up inside of her.

"Of course" Andy bit back with a surprising amount of venom in his voice despite the smile on his face. Lightning raised an eyebrow at him in slight shock with the tone he just used. Sneaking a glance over at him Lightning knew him well enough to know he was angry. His brow was furrowed and his lips were pinched white with effort to try and keep a smile. Sighing Lightning gave her horse a quick slap on the rump with the reins and pulled away from Andy and his dark thoughts. She had a race to concentrate on. The stewards were starting to call them up to get ready for the race. A few people got out of their gigs to adjust gear while the clerk of the course held horses. Lightning's horse already had all his gear adjusted fine so she just walked him around in a large circle. Soon the entire field joined her walking in the circle. The usual chatter had now stopped as everyone focused on their own tactics for the drive.

Lightning had been lucky and drawn a good barrier for her horse. If she could get him to the front on the inside he'd lead all the way and win the race. If she got blocked in and had to make a big dash for home then they'd stand little chance. The horse inside of her had very little speed coming off the mobile gate so it was just a case of hitting the accelerator off the gate and crossing to the inside for an optimum run. The siren sounded signalling for the horses to come up to the mobile as it started to slowly move away. Lightning turned her horse and let him roll up to the gate at his own speed. As the mobile picked up more speed Lightning took a tighter grip on the reins and pushed her feet into the stirrups of the gig. Her horse grabbed onto the bit and leant against her hands but Lightning let him do so. A veteran horse of nearly 70 starts, Lightning knew he wasn't going to change his ways of charging off the gate so she just needed to sit quietly on him.

The familiar rush of adrenaline rushed through her as the mobile picked up to full speed. The green light was switched on and the mobile rushed away leaving the field of horses behind. Lightning's horse shot off like a bullet and they were able to easily cross the horse to the inside of them. Lightning was about to pull to the inside when a movement to the outside of her caught her eye. Andy's horse had shot across from 3 spaces and was trying to cross over in front of Lightning. Making the split second decision move to push ahead to overtake him, Lightning gave her horse a quick slap with the reins. He shot forward without question, keen to be in front. However Andy had the same idea, knowing full well if he cut them off Lightning would have a hard time winning. Lightning gave the horse another slap with the rein and instantly regretting her decision. Andy just kept coming across so quickly that his gig bumped into the front of them.

Lightning sat back quickly and hauled on the reins to try and keep her horse balanced. Andy's gig had hit him in one of his legs and his faltered for a few strides. Lightning dug her feet into the stirrups and gritted her teeth. Falling out would be a disaster for them right now. The field of 12 horses were close behind and none would have a chance to swerve to avoid her.

"Fuck you Andy!" Lightning screamed at the helmet in front of her in frustration. She knew he wouldn't hear her over the sound of the race but it made her feel better. Her horse managed to recover his stride however they had wasted valuable seconds and Andy was now sitting in front of them. Lightning's horse was pulling hard on the reins now, he was not a behind runner and wasted too much valuable energy fighting to get in front. She had a snap decision to make, whether to get into a speed duel with Andy or sit behind and hope her horse settled enough to make a run for it at home. The horse Andy was driving was the second favourite in the race and had plenty of speed and stamina. But his long run off the mobile to come across would have used a lot of energy. The rest of the horses in the field weren't anywhere near the calibre of their two so there was little chance of them catching them.

"Fuck it" Lightning muttered. They had just passed the finish line for their first lap. Over the sound of the race a bell could be heard signalling that it was the last lap of the race. Letting the horse have his head, they shot forward and were quickly matched with Andy's horse. He was no rookie driver and knew full well what he'd done. The satisfaction of knowing he'd probably get a fine for dangerous driving was the only thing that stopped Lightning for reaching over and throttling him with her whip. The pair exchanged murderous looks as they pulled even with each other. Andy gave his horse a few sharp hits with the whip and tried to pull away from Lightning. The horse didn't respond and Lightning knew he'd spent too much energy pulling his little stunt. The trainer of Andy's horse was going to be furious.

Lightning's horse started to pull away easily, still full of running power as they came into the home turn. Coming down the straight Lightning could hear the rest of the field behind them, however a quickly glance back showed they were no threat to them. They hit the line lengths ahead of the rest of the field. The cheering of the crowd packed into the small grandstand finally made its way to Lightning's ear. Over the cheer she could also hear the race caller finishing off the rest of the field. Andy had finished second last. As soon as Lightning managed to pull her horse up a clerk of the course on his tolerant horse came up to them. With a grin he grabbed Lightning's horses bridle and turned them in an easy circle.

"Congratulations Miss McKenzie" he positively beamed at her "I just put away a nice little packet from the bet I had on."

Lightning could only laugh. There'd be a few happy people with her driving today as even though they went out at the favourite the odds certainly weren't hot in the betting ring. The clerk led her horse back to the front of the grandstand for the presentation of the trophy. This was the part Lightning hated the most. All she ever wanted to do was get the poor tired horse back to its owner so it could have a hose off and well deserved rest. Instead they had to sit there through speeches and Lightning would fumble her way through her own speech. It usually consisted of a few mumbled words of thanks. Most of the time all she could think about was her own desperate need for a drink and to wash her face.

A rug was thrown over the horse with the race embroidered into it. The pretty rug was instantly soaked in sweat and Lightning couldn't help but cringe a little. Murray treasured every single rug he ever won and this one would need a good wash before it could be folded up in the safety of his rug cupboard. Lightning wiped her face on her sleeve, praying she'd be slightly presentable for the inevitable photo that was to come. Murray was at her side giving her a slap on the back in pleasure.

"Well done, what a great drive" Murray was grinning from ear to ear. No doubt later on at the pub tonight there'd be many rounds of drinks shouted by him. A dairy farmer by trade, Murray only trained for a hobby and the winnings would be a welcome surge of money into their farm.

Now the adrenaline was leaving her body Lightning had to stop herself sagging in the gig from exhaustion. Her father was at the horse's head with the microphone giving his customary animated speech like he did every year. Lightning nearly zoned out and it was only the words that made her sit up in slight surprise.

"And this year for something different I have a representative to present the trophy for me."

Lightning's eyes snapped to the gate of the track as she saw a figure walk up. Tall and graceful, his carelessly cut blonde hair gleamed in the sunlight. He had a smug smile on his face as he strode over to her to hand the trophy to herself.

"Hello Lightning" Glorfindel had a cat who ate the canary smug smile on his face. His European accent seemed more drawn out than usual. Lightning felt her mouth gape open and shut in complete shock. She had to steady herself by grabbing onto the edge of the gig.

"I believe congratulations are in order for the winning driver" Glorfindel held out his hand for Lightning. She dropped the reins with shaking hands and let herself be pulled from the seat. Coming face to face with him Lightning could hear her heart pounding. She managed to shut her mouth and let a sly grin fall on her face.

"I believe a kiss is in order for the winning driver" Lightning matched his smug smile. Glorfindel didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed Lightning and pulled her into a passionate kiss. Lightning entire world seemed to stand still. Nothing else existed that moment except for them. When they broke apart the crowd was cheering and clapping. Lightning couldn't wipe the smile off her face. However the question was easily written all over her face. Why did you come?

"You rang me and asked me to, so here I am" Glorfindel said and gave her another swift kiss "Surprise."

Lightning couldn't help but laugh with joy. Today, life seemed to all fall into place.

**Authors Note**

**I am humbled by every single review I get! Thank you everyone!**

**Ok few questions answered. Lightning's house is a one story Queensland with big wrap around verandas. It's based on a house I used to live on. Even though it was tiny I loved that house, especially it being such a quick walk to the stables.**

**Andrea will show up again. But not to make trouble. Lightning is a big girl and can handle herself ;)**

**I hope everyone liked the peek into the other horsey aspect of Lightning's life. Harness racing is an entirely different world to the Equestrian world, especially in a small country town!**

**So enjoy this latest chapter.**


	13. Chapter 13

Glorfindel blinked sleepily as the world around him came into focus. The strange room was still dark except for the clock glowing in the corner. The green digits read 4:45am, only a mere 4 hours since they'd gone to bed. The warm body beside him shifted slightly in her sleep.

Glorfindel couldn't help but smile as he pulled Lightning closer to him and kissed her forehead softly. They had stayed at the local pub down the road from the racecourse for hours. Just simply enjoying the company of friend's with a few drinks. It was far more relaxing than anything he had ever been to. No false pretences to live up to, people just accepted you for who you are. Not the person they want you to be. It had also been good to put some faces to the names of people in Lightning's life who she would speak about in the conversations of weeks past. He had finally met her mother, Linda, whom Lightning was still on frosty terms with. However the frost seemed to be slowly dripping away and the pair were making amends for words said months ago.

A breeze and a slight shift of weight on Glorfindel's feet caused him to glance down. Lightning's little dog, Fox, was wide awake and wagging his tail madly in a silent effort for attention. Glorfindel patted the bed and he leapt up between the pair, rolling on his back for a belly scratch. With a silent chuckle, Glorfindel complied and rubbed his white belly as the dog closed his eyes in happiness.

"Hey Foxy dog" Lightning mumbled sleepily rubbing the dogs belly. Her hand brushing against Glorfindel's. She looked at him through half lidded eyes and a satisfied smile appearing on her lips.

"What's the time?" she asked as she snuggled back into Glorfindel's chest. He couldn't help but let out a small sigh of pleasure as her bare leg slid over his.

"4:45am" he said.

"Good another hour of sleep" Lightning mumbled and no sooner had the words left her mouth she was back asleep. Her deep breathing tickling Glorfindel's naked chest. He kissed her softly before letting himself slip back into sleep.

In what seemed like here minutes the pair were both startled awake by the alarm blaring obnoxiously. Fox leapt up from his doggy dreams and started to growl at the alarm. Over the noise Glorfindel could hear another 2 alarms going off at the same time. One was silenced quickly and was followed by a few muffled thumps. Within a minute the shower was turned on, the first sign of activity for the day.

"Shut up Fox" Lightning said giving the dog a shove from underneath the blankets. She pulled the pillow over her head and groaned loudly.

"5 more minutes."

Glorfindel was about to happily comply and he heard another door open. Heavy footsteps came towards Lightning's door. Fox twitched his head to the side and growled again.

"Prepare to be bombarded" Lightning said, her voice barely distinguished from underneath the pillow.

"What do you" Glorfindel was cut off by the door flinging open and 2 dogs leaping into the room. Fox began barking loudly at the pair of black Labradors bouncing on the bed. Lightning pulled the pillow over her head harder as one of them climbed onto her back and was scratching at the pillow. Glorfindel grunted as one of them sat on his chest, panting loudly wearing a massive dog grin.

"Bugger off Chewy!" Lightning yelled trying to swat the dog from underneath the covers trying not to lose the pillow on her head. He just whined louder and then lay down on her back.

"Good morning Princess" Callen laughed from the doorway.

"Fuck you" Lightning said, now wiggling to dislodge the dog from her back. Chewy was happily oblivious and just panted louder. Fox had given up trying to get some space on the bed and had jumped down on the floor still growling at the other dogs.

Glorfindel arched an eyebrow at the dog happily laying on his chest. He tentatively reached forward and scratched him behind the ears. Ewok snuggled happily and tried to roll over onto his back. He misjudged the space on the bed and landed with loud thud. Chewy quickly abandoned lying on Lightning's back and pounced on his brother in a single leap. The pair wrestled on the floor growling loudly at each other.

"Save me from the insanity" Lightning groaned as she finally emerged from underneath her pillow, glaring daggers at her twin brother over her shoulder.

"Up" Callen said firmly before turning on his heel to head away from the room. He whistled loudly and 3 dogs scurried after him.

"Welcome to the McKenzie looney farm" Lightning said dryly as she climbed out of bed with a blanket still wrapped around her naked body. She quickly shut the door and dropped the blanket from her body. Glorfindel couldn't help but lay back with the traces of a grin on his face. Unlike most of the women he knew, Lightning was completely comfortable with her body and had no problems parading her naked form in front of him. What would have most woman reaching for a towel and disappearing into the bathroom to get dressed, Lightning just wandered around naked searching through the piles of clothes on her floor. Occasionally she would sniff something and throw it down with a disgusted look on her face. It was a disappointment when she had finally found the clothes she wanted and pulled them on.

"I could lie here all day and watch you" Glorfindel said with the grin on his face growing. He stretched out and put his hands behind his head, propping himself up slightly. Lightning said nothing but smirked in response. Once she was fully clothed she jumped back on the bed and straddled his stomach.

"I couldn't just lie here though" Lightning leant forward and kissed him quickly "I'd have to be naked with no sheet between us right now."

Glorfindel just groaned in response and tried to pull her back down in for another kiss. She resisted at first then let herself be pulled down. The corners of her lips were tugging as she tried not to smile. Glorfindel tangled his hand through her hair and pulled her down so he could kiss her. Her lips parted slightly as their lips met and Glorfindel couldn't resist but to tease her with his tongue. Lightning nibbled at his lip and playfully arched her body against his. His body responded the second Lightning untangled herself from his body before he could press for more.

"I'll be back in an hour for breakfast" she said slightly breathless "It's only feeding up and helping to muck out before breakfast."

"I'll help" Glorfindel offered. Lightning threw him a dubious look and just shook her head.

"No it's okay" she said but Glorfindel began to climb out of bed and reach for his jeans. He pulled them on quickly and yanked his shirt over his head. When he emerged from his shirt Lightning was biting her lip looking as if she was trying to hold back a laugh.

"What?" Glorfindel asked tilting his head to the side slightly.

"You're going to muck out stables in designer jeans and a shirt that you probably paid more for than my entire outfit" Lightning couldn't help but let out a giggle that she'd been holding in. Glorfindel just offered her a sheepish grin and a shrug of his shoulders.

"Then we best get done early today so you can take me clothes shopping for some more appropriate attire around the stables."

Lightning floated around the stables quickly getting through them with ease due to years of practice. By the time she had made it to the stables the horses were already fed and it was just a matter of cleaning stables before breakfast. Callen had worked out most of the day already, trying to have it quiet and not too many to work. Those horses who could go in the paddock for the day would, and the rest would get worked lightly. It looked like an easy day with only 8 horses to work.

Lightning went to leave the last stable before a brown hindquarter swung around in her way. Laughing softly to herself she gave the horse a hard scratch on the tail. The horse sighed in contentment and leant back into her for a harder scratch.

"Not now Fuzzy" Lightning gave him a shove out of the way. The horse complied, almost reluctantly and went back to his breakfast. Lightning gave him an affectionate rub on the ears before leaving. Walking back to the muck heap Lightning couldn't help but smile. Life had really turned around since Kentucky. Now her stables were full of nice horses instead of the rejects they had to turn around, either physically or mentally. They had hit the point of no return with the amount of horses that they 3 of them could easily manage. Callen had interviews lined up for the next week to put on extra staff to alleviate the pressure off not only themselves, but the never tiring Kayla. Callen had finally caved in and started booking interstate clinics for him to teach at. The weekends they weren't competing, he'd be travelling all over the country giving lessons. Lightning had turned down all offers for her to be giving clinics, she just didn't enjoy teaching that much. The competition season was in full swing, and with their horses from the World Equestrian Games due out of quarantine in 2 weeks it would about to get hectic. The horses all had ample time to be in work and fit enough for the major competitions for the end of the year.

Seeing only 2 wheelbarrows at the muck heap, Lightning quickly emptied hers and went looking for Glorfindel. She had left him at the top row of stables with quick instructions on what to do. The haughty look he had given her and informed her that he knew how to clean stables made her raise an eyebrow. Then seeing the look of dismay on his face when he saw the stables had wood shavings and not straw that he was used to, bought her into uncontrollable giggles. He had managed to finish 2 stables and was nearly done on the third. He glanced up when he saw her standing in the doorway with a sheepish grin on his face.

"I'm very out of practice."

Lightning just laughed and grabbed a spare rake from the end of the stable. Together they got through the stable in no time and were heading back to the house.

"So what else is on the agenda today?" Glorfindel asked wrapped his arm around Lightning's shoulders casually.

"8 horses to work, I think we're just going to lead a few around the track for simple exercise" Lightning explained. The pair started to climb the stairs to the house. Lightning sniffed the air in appreciation. The smell of scrambled eggs and coffee wafted around the house lazily. Lightning's stomach rumbled loudly. Fox greeted the pair at the door wagging his tail in circles.

"Hey puppy dog" Lightning grinned and knelt down to give his a scratch behind the ears. His tongue lolled out in response and he rolled over onto his back for his belly to be rubbed.

"My dog is a slut" Lightning laughed as she gave in and rubbed his belly "As soon as someone gives me a bit of affection he's on his back looking for more."

She straightened up and kicked her boots off in one swift movement. Glorfindel followed suit and followed her into the kitchen. Callen was pouring coffee into 4 mugs while Kayla was setting bowls down on the table.

"So who's working who?" Kayla asked as they all sat down. She had a diary in front of her with 2 columns in it. A large list of horses were in the column that was labelled Paddock. Her pen was poised above the column labelled Work.

"Ride one lead 2" Callen said through a mouthful of scrambled eggs. Lightning shot him a dirty look.

"Gross don't talk with your mouthful" she scolded "But yeah, then you can ride one Kayla and so can Guy."

"I haven't ridden in years Lightning" Glorfindel began but Lightning waved a dismissive hand.

"Pepper won't give you any issues, all you have to do is stay on" Lightning said "You can borrow some breeches and boots off Callen. Kayla you can ride Lilly today if you'd like."

The young girl's face lit up with delight. She just nodded and wrote down the names in the column.

"I'll ride Hank and lead Glow and Speck" Lightning said sipping her coffee "And Cal you can ride Joey and lead Rusty and Elsie."

"How about I ride Elsie and lead Joey and Rusty so I don't die" Callen corrected Lightning. She simply shrugged and shoved a mouthful of scrambled eggs into her mouth and washed it down with a long swallow of coffee.

"It'd be funnier for the rest of us if you rode Joey and led Elsie though" Lightning grinned after her mouth was empty.

"How about you ride Speck and lead Hank then?" Callen grinned back at Lightning "Now that would be funny."

"I'd rather see one of you try to gallop Glow" Kayla broke in causing a round of laughter around the table. Glorfindel just smiled at their banter. The rest of breakfast was spent in light conversation around the table. Kayla had asked about their day yesterday which both the twins gladly filled her in on. Glorfindel pitched into the conversation where he could, retelling his tale of how he had gotten there that morning. The food was soon eaten and the table cleared. Lightning disappeared into Callen's room and emerged with a pair of breeches, boots and well worn leather gaiters.

"Here" she handed them to Glorfindel leading him to her room. She sat on her bed while Glorfindel stripped off and changed into the breeches.

"I hope the boots fit, I didn't think to ask your size before I dobbed you in" Lightning said sheepishly "You don't have to ride if you don't want to, but Pepper is a seriously cool dude he'll look after you."

"It's fine" Glorfindel smile to reassure her "I just haven't ridden in a fair few years so I hope I don't embarrass myself."

He pulled on the boots and gaiters giving his feet a good wiggle. Both were thankfully a perfect fit except for the right boot. It seemed to have worn slightly more to the inside than the left.

"I think your brother walks funny though" Glorfindel said giving the boot a good shake.

"Probably from all those nights where he over exerted himself with the ladies" Lightning laughed. She bounced up off the bed and grabbed him by the hand "Come on lets go ride."

Kayla had beat them to the stables and 4 horses were patiently waiting in the tie up stalls already tacked up. Callen had his helmet on and was zipping up his body protector. He took the reins of a small brown mare and led her out. Stepping onto the mounting block, he swung up with the grace and ease of years of practice. The mare stood quietly underneath him as he adjusted himself in the saddle. Kayla led unsaddled horses to him which he put on either side of the mare. With a nudge of his heels the 3 horses walked off obediently and they wandered to the race track.

Lightning had gotten helmets and body protectors from inside the tack room. She brushed one set off and handed them to Glorfindel.

"You always wear a body protector?" he asked Lightning who was putting her own on.

"Only for track work" she zipped hers up "Just a habit from being at Mum and Dads."

Fastening her helmet, Lightning stepped forward to help Glorfindel adjust his. She wrapped her arms around him and flashed him a beautiful smile.

"Are you ready?"

"Of course" Glorfindel smiled back and quickly kissed her before she could pull away.

"Ugh get a room" Kayla's voice caused the pair to jump apart. She was already dressed for riding and holding 2 unsaddled horses.

"Just ride with Kayla ok?" Lightning said to Glorfindel "She'll help you get on and show you how many laps to do."

"Of course" Glorfindel said.

Lightning led the largest horse in the tie up stalls out to the mounting block. The horse was massive. Dark brown with 2 back socks, he was nearly as wide as he was tall. She gave him a pat on the next before swinging into the saddle.

"C'mon Hank the Tank lets try and get this belly off you."

Kayla handed the 2 unsaddled horses to Lightning. One was a beautiful grey mare who seemed to float along the ground. She carried the same air of arrogance as Beau did. Although tall, she seemed to be dwarfed next to Hank. The other was a smaller black horse with a sprinkling of white spots on his rump.

"Pretty girl" Glorfindel nodded to the grey mare.

"Of course she is, she's one of Beau's foals" Lightning grinned to him. Nudging Hank with her heels the 3 of them walked towards the track. As soon as they got onto the track, Lightning nudged Hank into a trot. The massive horse lumbered lazily into the slowest trot he could manage. Lightning gave him a sharp boot with her heels and he reluctantly went into a modest pace. Glow gave a massive squeal and let out a series of bucks. Lightning let her lead rope out right to the end and just let her carry on. She was truly an image of her sire, beautiful, arrogant and extremely talented. Even though she was only a 4 year old she was showing all the talent in the world to be a superstar. And just like her sire she was a difficult ride. Callen had more than happily handed the reins over to Lightning when she was being broken in. He was the one who usually handled mares better but with Glow being just like her sire, Lightning was the one to get the best out of her.

As Glow settled into a steady rhythm and Speck trotted along quietly, Lightning sat back and enjoyed the view. The racetrack was 1km in length and fairly flat. In the middle lived the small band of broodmares the twins owned and a few retired horses. The broodmares were fat with foal, all due to drop in 2 or 3 months. On the other side of the track Lightning could see Callen with his 3 horses trotting along quietly. She couldn't help but grin, life was certainly good.

As she rounded the back end she saw Glorfindel and Kayla enter onto the track. Despite his objections he rode as if he hadn't been a day out of the saddle. Lightning shot an envious look at his direction, tall and slim he looked as if he was born to be in the saddle. Thinking of the events over the last day just caused her to grin more. The feelings she had kept buried over the last few weeks tried to bubble their way closer to the surface. She had sworn herself never to get lost in such a whirlwind of romance, yet here she was falling madly for him. Chewing on her lip Lightning shot another glance towards him and felt her heart flutter slightly at the grin on his face as he trotted along on the tall grey horse. This wasn't meant to happen this way, it was meant to be nothing more than a fun fling in Kentucky. She needed to be careful, it could all blow up in her face and she couldn't let her heart be ripped out again. Yet here she was letting herself get caught up in the tangled web of feelings. Shaking her head she concentrated on the horse underneath her and the two she was leading. Kicking Hank into a canter Lightning warily watched Glow out of the corner of her eye. But the young mare seemed to be behaving at the end of her lead. Hank let out an enormous grunt of effort as she cantered along and Lighting laughed at his antics.

They cantered along for another lap before Lightning pulled them up. Hank was breathily heavily yet Glow and Speck seemed to be fresh from the canter.

"Fat man" Lightning scolded as she rubbed Hank's sweaty neck as the exited the track. Callen had his horses untacked and had them lined up in the washbay giving them a quick bath. Seeing Lightning he grabbed her two led horses and tied them up while she dismounted.

"He's so fat" Callen laughed pointing to the sweaty Hank. The horse looked as if he had just run a race, not do a few easy laps around the track.

"I know" Lightning laughed with her twin "Poor Hank, he's like an overgrown pony."

As she undid her helmet she shook out her slightly sweaty hair. She began pulling the tack off Hank while Callen went back to his hosing. Even her brother seemed to be in a good mood, he was humming a song that Lightning couldn't place. She raised an inquiring eyebrow at him and only got a mischievous grin in response. Lightning shook her head and smiled to herself. No doubt her bother had found a quick dalliance before coming home last night.

"So who was it?" Lightning asked as she put the sweaty saddle blanket on a rack to dry.

"One of the usual ones" Callen said with a shrug "No one of importance, I'm guessing your night was fun since you were still going at it when I got home."

Lightning snorted and tried to give her twin a dirty look. She didn't succeed as they both burst into immature giggles. Kayla and Glorfindel pulled up in front of them and shot them a questioning look. Glorfindel's face split into a beautiful smile at the look of pure joy on Lightning's face.

"Let's get these kids all done so we can go shopping" Lightning said pulling her body protector off. Within 15 minutes all were washed off and in their respective stables. Lightning and Glorfindel went back to her room and got changed. Lightning snatched the car keys up off the dresser with a glint in her eyes.

"I'm so driving the new car" she grinned

"Of course you can" Glorfindel chuckled "It is yours after all."

Lightning felt her mouth gape open and she had to shut it before she looked like a gaping goldfish. A huge range of motions race across her face as she bit her lip. Glorfindel watched amused as her facial expression went from angry to worried and then back to childish glee. Though it looked slightly strained she did manage to put a genuine smile on her face

"You have to stop doing this" she scolded him lightly "No more extravagant presents!"

Glorfindel just shrugged, leaning against the bedroom wall with a satisfied smirk on his face.

"I think your definition and my definition of extravagant presents are going to mean two completely different things" he said with an elegant shrug of his shoulders "I am a very rich man Lightning, a car like that is nothing to me."

"Then remind me when my birthday comes around to show you the price of a new horse truck" Lightning snorted while jangling the keys "Lets go into town. "

Town turned out to be a 35 minute drive away giving Lightning ample opportunity to test out the new car. Glorfindel couldn't help but laugh at the sheer joy on her face as she sped along the highway. Their conversation was easy and Glorfindel found himself relaxing in her company. The constant smile playing on her lips light up Lightning's entire face. She looked positively radiant and he was almost disappointed when they finally pulled into the car park. Lightning had explained this was the only major shopping centre and while it wasn't huge she could at least get him out of Callen's riding clothes.

"Because who knows where those balls have really been" she said with a mock shudder. Glorfindel just laughed in response and walked into the shopping centre with her. He took her hand and squeezed it gently. Little goosebumps raised along her arm at his touch and he had to hold back a downright wicked grin. He loved the way her body reacted to his touch. She was almost childlike in her enthusiasm for everything in her life. Yet in the bedroom she was near insatiable and from the reaction he was getting from her body right now they were going to be hard pressed to make it back to her bedroom later on.

"You have goosebumps" he whispered in her ear leaving a brief kiss in the point. Although her ears were near human except for a tiny point in them they had retained their Elvish sensitivity as he had found out last night.

"And if you do that again I'm going to give you an inappropriate hard on in public" Lightning growled "Hang on there's someone I need to see."

Abruptly Lightning changed direction and pulled Glorfindel with her. If not for his Elven grace he was sure they would have ended up in an ungraceful heap on the floor. Lightning was making her way towards a large hairdresser. The shop was tastefully decorated and stylish. It almost make it look out of place in the shopping centre. Lightning strode in practically dragging Glorfindel behind her.

"Hannah!" Lightning called out and a dark hair female poked her out from the back room. The dark hair woman grinned as she saw the pair.

"Here's trouble with a capital L" Hannah met Lightning and embraced her tightly "With some very fashionable company" with a wink at Glorfindel.

"Guy this is Hannah my best friend" Lightning introduced him and dropped his hand she was holding "Hannah this is Guy who I met in Kentucky."

"Hi" Hannah held out her hand for Glorfindel to shake. He took it and quickly kissed it instead of shaking.

"Pleasure is all mine" Glorfindel layered on a slightly thicker accent than necessary. Part of him felt like this was another test to pass just like meeting Bill. Thankfully for him Hannah let out a breathless giggle as she pulled her hand away. She mouthed the word 'Wow' to Lightning while Glorfindel pretended not to notice. Standing next to each other the best friends couldn't be more different. With Lightning tall and lean, Hannah was short and would be one of those woman who would always describe herself not as fat but could do with losing a few pounds. Hannah was dark haired and pale as a person who didn't spend much time outside. Though her grey eyes were merry and warm, Glorfindel liked her instantly.

"The shop looks fantastic Hannah" Lightning beamed as she twirled around taking in everything. Glorfindel glanced around only just noticing the obviously new paint job and furniture.

"I know" Hannah looked as if she would burst with pride "It's been amazing and we are so busy too" I'm going to have to hire some new staff soon. Our baby is paying off. "

"Excuse me am I missing something?" Glorfindel glanced at Lightning curiously. Her cheeks blushed the palest pink and she cleared her throat in embarrassment. She opened her mouth to reply but Hannah cut her off.

"Oh stop being so damn modest Lightning" the smaller woman rolled her eyes "Lightning gave me the money to help me expand from the tiny studio I was working out of in my backyard at home to this. "

Hannah swept her arms around the salon.

"And she now has a half share in the business" Hannah finished with a satisfied smile on her face.

"It was nothing" Lightning muttered and rolled her eyes. The embarrassed blush the colour her cheeks deepened "So are we all set for the big day?"

The abrupt change of subject served as a welcome distraction to Lightning's embarrassment. Though Glorfindel couldn't quite put his finger on why she would be embarrassed at such a sound business investment. He threw a look of questioning at Lightning who chose to ignore it. The change of subject nearly had him confused except for the dreamy smile to cross Hannah's face.

"Of course we are" she almost scoffed at the mere thought that she would be anything but organised "So as my maid of honour no falling off horses and no black eyes until I get married!"

"Beau comes home next week after 6 weeks off, I can't promise anything" Lightning laughed and scooted out of the was as the smaller woman went to swat her for being cheeky.

"And have you ordered the tickets for your and your brother?" Hannah crossed her arms and stared at Lightning who visibly cringed at the question. Lightning turned to Glorfindel and mouthed the word help to him. However Glorfindel's curiosity now had the better of him. He just flashed her a smile and raised a questioning eyebrow at Hannah.

"Our 10 year high school reunion" Hannah explained "Lightning promised me she would go when we first found out about it."

"We were both drunk!" Lightning protested "Like either of us wants to go back into that viper trap."

"Well lucky for Lightning I've already paid for 4 tickets" Hannah smiled "And even luckier for her she has you to go with her now instead of Cal."

"Thank you Hannah, remind me to screw up your first dance song and sing 'I'm Sexy and I know it' instead" Lightning looked at Glorfindel for help. He was far too intrigued by the idea of going to something such as a high school reunion. In one of her brief letting information be known about her life while Glorfindel was still in Imladris Lightning had told him that's he had gone to a rather elusive and expensive private high school on a music scholarship. She had also remarked it was a good thing that she was on scholarship and her parents weren't paying for it as she hated every second of it. It had shown in her rather average grades in everything except for Sport and Music.

He simply smiled sweetly at Lightning and crossed his arms.

"I think its a wonderful idea" Glorfindel said smugly and bit back a laugh as Lightning threw him a filthy look.

"It's a formal dress code too" Hannah smiled even wider completely ignoring Lightning's jab at her "White Tie, so no showing up in anything less than a ball gown so you might even have to brush your hair for once."

The pained expression on Lightning's face was too much for Glorfindel to bear anymore. He draped his arm over her shoulder and kissed her temple while laughing heartily.

"It can't be that bad can it?" He asked Lightning.

"You have no idea" she pulled a face but then grumblingly complied to Hannah's wish. Hannah squealed with delight and ran to the back of the shop to produce an envelope. She handed it to Glorfindel with a wink.

"Don't lose them. "

"I will guard them with my life and even make sure Lightning brushed her hair" he said solemnly. He earned a solid slap in the arm from Lightning for his cheekiness.

"I'm taking you clothes shopping before Hannah corrupts you completely" Lightning gave her best friend a quick embrace before dragging a still grinning Glorfindel after her.

Authors note

I humbly beg forgiveness from all my followers! This is a very late update.

My muse for this story seemed to leave me and throw 3 other stories in my head instead. So I've been writing them and ignoring this chapter. I had gotten a lot of chapters ahead written and my computer completely and utterly crapped itself :( so back to the drawing board but with a bit more focus this time around! This is about the 5th rewrite of this chapter. It's a bit of a boring chapter but needed to set for things to come later.

And no, Haldir isn't the twins father! You will just have to bear with me in this. It's going to take awhile to even bring him into it.


	14. Chapter 14

Glorfindel stood back as the rather large horse truck came to a stop in front of the stables. Multiple horses inside we're making a racket as they whinnied and stamped their feet impatiently. Lightning and Callen didn't even wait for the truck driver to get out, they were already pulling the tailgate down with gleeful smiles on their faces. This truck was the one that held their cherished mounts and the first of some of the horses Elladan had bought the pair in partnership with Glorfindel. Though as he recalled he had very little say in the horses Elladan had so merrily purchased with his fair share of money. There was one horse in particular he was keen to meet.

Anna was the first to step off the truck. She snorted in complete indignantly and began to rip at the grass at her hooves. Callen buried his face in the mane of his beloved mare and hugged her tightly. She however completely ignored her human and happily dragged him to the nearest patch of grass. Allowing himself to be dragged along Callen put her in her rightful paddock where she proceeded to find the only patch without grass and proceeded to roll. Bobby was next to come off the truck and unlike Anna he was more than happy to accept Callen's fussing over him.

"Watch out" Lightning called out from inside the truck. A moment later Beau came tearing off the truck dragging Lightning with him. As he stepped on to the grass he let out a trumpeting whinny for the entire world to hear. The massive stallion arched his neck and pranced circles around Lightning who was doing her best to hang onto him. Glorfindel stepped in and grabbed the side of the stallions halter and hissed at him in whispered Sindarin to behave himself. He eyed Glorfindel before snaking his head at him and giving him a playful shove.

"Beau!" Lightning scolded as she finally had a good grip on his leadrope.

"Are you ok?" Glorfindel asked Lightning as she began to walk the prancing again Beau to his paddock. She just laughed and nodded letting herself be dragged along with the stallion. He obviously knew exactly where his paddock was and he was heading straight for it.

"Guy" Callen said as he handed him the leadrope for Yarraman. The solid chestnut stallion blinked in the sunlight and simply shook himself. He yawned as if just waking up from a nap and trudged behind Glorfindel like a well behaved kids pony as he was led to his paddock. Yarraman happily ambled into his paddock and within 3 steps of the gate dropped and rolled in a patch of dirt. As he got up he shook himself off and ambled another few steps before rolling again. Glorfindel chuckled as he watched the stallion. The small horse had a heart of gold. Callen wasn't far behind him and let Bobby in the paddock next to Yarraman. The black gelding squealed and started doing laps in his paddock, bucking and leaping as he went. Yarraman gave the gelding a look of disgust and wandered into his shelter where a full hay net awaited him.

He eagerly walked back to the truck to see the new horses. A few of them had already stepped off the truck and had been put in stables prepared for them earlier. The next one to step off the truck was one of the only horses Glorfindel had actually had any input into buying. The rest he just let Elladan choose and show him later where he inserted the proper enthusiasm at them. The bloodlines kept going straight over his head yet a few had stuck in his mind. Mostly it had to do with Beau's bloodlines.

"Lucky last" the truck driver grinned as he disappeared into the back and undid the divider. He led out a rather plain looking bay horse. He was an average size horse though solidly built with a perfect star and two white back socks. Glorfindel grinned and took the leadrope of the bay horse. The stallion walked off patiently and began to graze. Callen gave him a slightly disappointed look and Glorfindel just shot him a look to be patient. Lightning would know exactly who the horse was and he expected a big reaction from her. Though from her reaction last night over him spending money on her he was now starting to doubt his decision slightly.

They had gone out to dinner, just the pair of them for some much needed space. It was also a mini celebration as Lightning had just sold a horse for a client on a rather large consignment. It was one of her first major ones and the horse was being exported overseas so understandably Lightning was thrilled. Dinner was a tiny Italian restaurant about a 20 minute drive away and out of sheer habit Glorfindel had put his card down to pay for their meal when they had finished. Lightning shot him a dirty look and grabbed his card and replaced it with her own money. A habit Glorfindel found most amusing that Lightning always carried cash on her and very rarely used her card for anything. When she did she always spent a moment longer than most people needed biting her lip trying to remember her PIN number. When he persisted in trying to pay Lightning got awfully short with him and finally snapped she didn't need someone to pay for her way. Glorfindel had held his hands up in defeat and let her pay with an amused smirk on his face. This only caused Lightning to scowl further and stomp out to the car. Her snappy mood was gone as soon as they pulled out on to the road again where Glorfindel couldn't help but chuckle at the storm cloud look on her face. She had given him the dirtiest look she could manage but finally failed and dissolved into giggles. All was long forgotten by the time they had climbed into bed that night.

"Who's this one?" Lightning asked with a frown on her face as she looked him over quickly. Elladan had sent a detailed email with all the horses that would be arriving when they first went into quarantine. All their relevant paperwork had been received in the mail last week. Lightning, Callen and Kayla all spent a few hours drooling over bloodlines and the photos they had received. It was no doubt Lightning and Callen had memorized every horse that would be arriving. Glorfindel cleared his throat and Lightning glanced to him with a raised eyebrow.

"This one is my contribution" Glorfindel smiled sweetly.

Callen took the leadrope from the truck driver allowing Lightning to inspect the stallion. As she reached his hindquarter she shot a sharp look at Glorfindel.

"That's no Warmblood brand" she said pointing to the hindquarter where a rather large freeze brand stood out.

"Indeed" the smile grew wider on Glorfindel's face.

There was a strangled laugh trying not to escape from Callen's mouth. His lips were pinched tightly and almost white in the effort not to laugh. He had suddenly realized who the horse was. No doubt his twin had shown him the horse in passing.

Before Glorfindel had come to Australia he had received a text message very late one night from Lightning. She couldn't sleep so struck up a conversation with Glorfindel who had been sitting on his laptop flicking to various things. He had asked what she had been doing up so late when she was working hard and was normally asleep hours ago. Her reply was she couldn't sleep so decided to do what she hadn't done for ages. Find some of the most outrageously priced horses on the internet and watch videos of them picking the horses apart. It usually bored her to tears enough to get to sleep or keep her amused until she could sleep. When asked if she had found one she actually liked Lightning had sent the link through to him. It was a very fancy moving Lusitano stallion from Portugal who was training all the Grand Prix movements. Despite being very plain looking the stallion was incredibly fancy, yet sweet tempered as shown in the video by him patiently teaching Novice riders. But the stallion had a price tag of 350,000 Euro attached to him. Lightning had made the remake she had run out of horses of Beau and Yarraman's capabilities to be able to ever afford such a horse to buy for herself.

Glorfindel had simply sent the link to Elladan and told him to make it happen for the horse to be Lightning's. Elladan has simply raised an eyebrow but complied without any further question. He hadn't heard any other mention from Lightning about the horse so he assumed she would have seen the sold sign on the website and forgotten about him.

"This is a Lusitano" Lightning bit her lip and glanced over at Glorfindel.

"Very articulate of you Lightning" Callen rolled his eyes while stroking the stallions forehead "You can tell the difference between a Dutch brand and an entirely different breed of horse."

"Go fuck yourself Callen" Lightning shot back absently as she stroked the stallions neck. Her eyes widened in realization and she spun to Glorfindel.

"Is this Soloman?"

Glorfindel wasn't sure to cringe or just keep smiling sweetly at her. Lightning almost looked furious, her face kept switching between amazement and anger. Fortunately before her temper could boil over Callen was the one who broke up what could have been a furious argument. It seemed the argument, though pushed aside was hardly forgotten.

"Don't be a diva Lightning, smile sweetly and thank your boyfriend" Callen had let out the laughter he had been holding in. He was almost bent over and tears glistened in his eyes he was laughing so hard. He thrust the leadrope into Lightning's hands and left the pair for some privacy. Though no doubt he was make it as far as the stable block so he could eavesdrop with Kayla.

"Guy" Lightning began with an exasperated sigh, her face falling in defeat "This is too much, you have to stop doing this he was incredibly expensive."

"Do you like him?" Glorfindel ignored her statement and stepped up to pat the horse "The money is insignificant to me, I only want the best for you."

Soloman was standing there quietly eating grass like he had lived there his entire life. He didn't even look up at Glorfindel when he stoked his neck.

"What's not to like about him?" Lightning smiled wryly throwing her hands up in defeat.

"You mean besides from the fact he's not half crazy like you seem to have most of your dressage horses?" Glorfindel smirked letting himself relax a little. He expected a fiery reaction from Lightning but what he hadn't anticipated was Callen interfering on his behalf. The first week Glorfindel had spent there Callen had barely said two words to him. Yet he seemed to be thawing slightly to his presence and actually striking up conversation with him now. He sent a mental thank you to him for interfering on his behalf before Lightning could get into an argument. Lightning just shook her head in amusement and took Soloman to the stable. As they walked into the stable aisle Callen fell into step with him and lagged behind Lightning slightly.

"So who do I have to sleep with to get a horse like that?" He asked cheekily and ducked out of the way before Glorfindel could swat him. The action caused Glorfindel to frown mentally, the other twin was far too quick even for him. It was still frustrating to not be able to know anything else about them. He kept a smile on his face though and pushed the thoughts away.

"I have a lot of attractive male business partners that would happily comply" Glorfindel said smoothly. The look of disgust on Callen's face was priceless.

"No thank you" Callen said wrinkling his nose "I might be a slut but I'm not that desperate, they have to be attractive and female."

For some reason Glorfindel's mind instantly flashed to Andrea. He didn't know whether to laugh hysterically or actually pass her number on. Callen could more than handle the witch of a woman who wouldn't know what hit her if he had his way with her. Though he couldn't be sure if Andrea's stick thin model looks would even appeal to him.

"Well now you mention it" Glorfindel began with a wicked smile.

Callen perked up immediately.

"I do have an ex girlfriend who is a fashion designer and is single and well off, she is actually interested in meeting both of you for her new line of equestrian wear."

"You and me need to talk more about this over a few beers tonight" Callen returned the wicked smile and gave Glorfindel a thump on the back. Glorfindel couldn't help but feel a sense of relief of the ice finally breaking between them. Lightning was driving at the races tonight and Kayla had a date with someone she met at the pub a few weeks ago. She wouldn't admit to who though despite Callen's constant teasing her about it. So it would just be the two of them left at home. Glorfindel had almost been dreading being by himself with Callen for the night.

"Beer and pizza?" Glorfindel asked as they stopped at Soloman's stable.

"Done and done" Callen said.

"By the way she might prefer you as a blonde" Glorfindel threw in a cheeky verbal jab at him. It had amused him to no end to find out Callen was actually a natural platinum blonde. He kept his hair and eyebrows always carefully dyed thanks to Hannah's skill as a hairdresser. Callen sighed and tugged as his hair that was currently so black it almost looked black. It did match his tanned skin tone perfectly though. When Lightning had shown him a photo of Callen while they were still in school before he started dying his hair Glorfindel had nearly been in hysterical laughter. It made him look so young and with his darker skin tone his hair looked almost fake if it weren't for his eyebrows.

"Yeah well she can just find out the other way that I'm a natural blonde" Callen pulled a face.

It was Glorfindel's turn to pull a face of disgust at the meaning of his words. This was going to be an interesting night.

Lightning stared out the window of the car as the scenery flashed by her not really taking in anything. Her entire day had passed in a blur of activity she didn't really remember. Her mind was too set on her feelings of everything happening over the last few weeks. It had really turned into a whirlwind of emotions. Those forbidden thoughts from back in Kentucky kept resurfacing far too often for her liking. Those momentary distractions of thinking to the future or what could be the future. Well it was more like what she wanted deep down but she just couldn't let it come to the surface.

"If you keep thinking so hard your brain is going to explode and I'll be the one to clean out your beautiful new car" Bill Mckenzie said dryly glancing over towards her. Lightning tried to smile but it felt more like a grimace.

"Sorry" she said and went back to looking out the window. Next to her Bill sighed and glanced over at her in concern.

"What I meant to say if you don't speak what's on your mind I'm going to have to wrangle it out of you Possum" Bill said firmly.

Lightning pulled a face at her childhood nickname and glanced over to her father. He was watching her intently with a frown of concern on his face.

"Guy bought me a horse today" Lightning started and was cut off by a snort from her father. Lightning shot him a flirty look for interrupting.

"Sorry" Bill chuckled "But Dan and Guy have been buying you and Callen horses since you left Kentucky, why is this one any different?"

"Because I showed it you Guy one night with absolutely no meaning behind it and he goes and buys it for me" Lightning sighed heavily.

"And I'm still not seeing the problem here Lightning, if it was a classy horse then wouldn't it have been a wise business decision on their behalf" Bill said gently as he glanced over to his daughter.

"It's not that" Lightning chewed on her bottom lip trying to find the right words to say. How could she tell her father that it wasn't just the horses that were being brought. It was everything, the surprise trip over her, the amount of money he loved to splash around. The feelings she didn't want to surface beginning to gnaw their way into her everyday thoughts. Her self concious was near constantly screaming at her to stop right now before she got hurt again.

"Call me a stupid male" Bill grinned as Lightning snorted in amusement "But I'm still not seeing the problem here.

"Stupid male" Lightning shot back instantly.

Bill smiled but let the silence fall between them again. Lightning went back to staring out the car window. Her father had a very busy day at the stables so he had sent the truck with the racehorses ahead of them. Seeing Lightning's new car for the first time he had gleefully taken the keys off her to take it for a spin. It had amused Lightning to no end that her father was one of the richest trainers in Australia. Yet he and her mother drove very modest cars, had a large but not overly flashy house and poured all their money into state of the art facilities for their horses. Leading up to preparations for major events Lightning and Callen had both begged use of the water treadmill and specially conditioned gallop surface. It had been 3am starts helping Bill with trackwork but it had been worth it in the end. Callen was now eyeing off their very own water treadmill but Lightning kept choking on the $130,000 price tag of one.

"Has this got to do with what Craig did to you?" Bill said quietly breaking through Lightning's thoughts.

She couldn't help but start at the mention of her ex husbands name. Ever since he had left her no one had really called him by name. It had been a manner of very derogatory names, even Lightning had always referred to him at fuckwit.

"Of course it does" Lightning said bitterly "We were married and he decided to go fuck somebody else, whats to say that Guy won't get bored and go do the same and then I lose everything again."

"I don't think Guy is the type of person to do that Lightning" Bill said with a shrug of his shoulders "If you were nothing more than a passing fancy he wouldn't have dropped his entire life in Europe to come be with you."

"Men get bored" Lightning pointed out and then added sadly "Especially with me."

Bill glanced at his daughter with a look of pity and sadness. How he wished he could change everything that happened between her and Craig. The young man had seen through his daughters brave facade she so easily threw up and crumbled it down bit by bit. Lightning had wanted nothing more than for her prince charming to ride in on a white horse and sweep her off her feet. Yet she had gotten a toad instead. Craig had played her like a fool giving her everything she wanted and then ripped it out from underneath her the moment he could. Bill knew all too well that he had been chasing the money he thought Lightning had. He had almost been sorely disappointed when he realized she had nothing more than he did. Until he found out the true value of Beau and Yarraman.

"Well I've had you for 28 years and I'm not bored of you" Bill grinned trying to lighten the mood.

"You didn't have a choice, you adopted me and they don't hand out refunds especially on little hellions like me and Cal" Lightning snorted yet a hint of a smile crept onto her face.

"And Guy does" Bill lunged for his opening trying to comfort his daughter "He sees you for the precious gem you are Possum and he's treating you like any man worthy of my daughter should."

Lightning opened her mouth to protest but Bill kept going.

"He didn't fly halfway around the world on the whim of a drunken phone call and start buying you some of the best horses in the world to be bored of you within a few months. I would bet anything I have that he's doing his best to set you up to make your life comfortable."

"And he could pull it all out from underneath me at any moment too" Lightning interrupted.

"But his business partner Dan would have to agree with that, and if you didn't notice the training contract is in both yours and Callen's names" Bill said.

Lightning grumbled in response but didn't disagree so Bill pressed it further.

"I know how much Craig hurt you Lightning but you can't live in the past and worry constantly about getting hurt. Maybe you and Guy won't work out and maybe you will, it's called life and you have to live it instead of worrying because one idiot tried to ruin it."

"When did you become all philosophical?" Lightning asked but felt a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. No matter what her father could always manage to make her feel better.

"Since my daughter became lost and needed a kick up the arse to wake up and smell the roses" Bill grinned and reached over the squeeze Lightning's hand "Just let it happen Possum, stop worrying about Guy and the money he spends on you. What he just spent on horses for you wouldn't even dent his bank account."

This perked Lightning's interest up. She knew very little about what Glorfindel did except he was an investor. He never offered into any further information about his business or what he actually invested in. For all she knew he could be trading anything on the black market.

"What do you know about Guy's bank account and business" Lightning raised an eyebrow at her father. He had the grace to look a little embarrassed as he offered a sheepish grin.

"I was curious so I hired someone to dig a little into him" Bill said "Don't worry Lightning he's completely clean, all his money and yes there is a lot of it, comes from buying business in financial trouble. His company then either strips the business down and sells it off, or reinvests it to make the company viable again."

"Dare I ask how much of it?" Lightning's curiosity got the better of her. She remembered back to their conversation in Kentucky about him being a billionaire.

"His net worth for just his companies is around 11 billion" Bill laughed at the look of shock on Lightning's face "I told you there was a lot and that doesn't include his personal fortune."

"No wonder he tells me the money is insignificant when he bought Soloman" Lightning shook her head.

"Curious minds want to know how much" Bill asked.

"He was advertised at $350,000 Euro" Lightning cringed mentally at the price spoken out loud. Bill gave a low whistle.

"Wow that's impressive for a sport that doesn't have any prize money."

"Tell me about it and he's not even a popular breed so I don't think he'll make much money in stud fees" Lightning sighed but her mood was feeling lighter. It felt good to be able to talk about her fears without being judged. She wanted to try and talk to Callen about it but it had proven far too hard to get any alone time with him. Her conversation with her father was cut short when he pulled into the racetrack.

"Like I said, stop worrying about it all Lightning and enjoy the ride it's taking you along" Bill gave her a pat on the shoulder "And now get your game face on and drive some winners for your old man."

Lightning pulled in front of her house and switched the engine off. Lights were still on inside and she could see the glow of the TV through the curtains. She leant back against her seat heavily and sighed in relief. Her conversation with her father had taken a load off her mind. It still hadn't eased her fears about being serious in a relationship again. But it helped and that was the main thing.

Checking the clock on the dashboard she wondered why someone was still up watching TV. It was after midnight and the house would normally be quiet at this time of night. Callen was a very light sleeper so he wouldn't even tolerate the TV being on while he was trying to sleep.

The front door was open a fraction and Fox was sitting on the front step waiting for Lightning. The little dog was wagging his tail madly, his entire small body almost wriggling in delight to see her. Smiling to herself Lightning got out of the car and made her way up the stairs. She picked up her little dog and cuddled him in close. He licked her cheek and snuggled into her shoulder in obvious delight that she was home.

"Hey my puppy dog" Lightning crooned to him allowing herself a moment's peace outside. She sat on the top stair staring up at the stars. It was late May and the air was growing cold with the promise of a sharp winter. There wasn't a cloud in the sky tonight as the stars shone brightly in the black sky. Out here so far in the country there was no artificial light to dull them. You could make out every constellation in the sky without anything to block your view. The moon was just a sliver of pale light tonight. The nights of a full moon it was almost as bright as daylight. You could see around the farm for miles on end and make out every shape. Tonight however the horses in paddock were just dark shapes mostly asleep. The ones in stables were quiet only occasionally snorting.

"I suppose we should go to bed" Lightning murmured to her dog as she rose off the step. Fox panted loudly in response and licked her cheek again. Lightning wiped it away with a wrinkled nose, she knew all too well what her little dog liked to chew on and none of it was pleasant.

Walking into the house the sight that greeted her made her raise an eyebrow. Callen and Glorfindel were both sitting in their boxer shorts glued to the TV with remotes in their hands. 2 pizza boxes and a half empty carton of beer sitting in an esky full of ice.

"I'm guessing you two had a good night?" Lightning laughed at the sight of them. Only Glorfindel acknowledged her by a cheeky grin before turning back to the game. Lightning squashed back with slight annoyance how it always made her heart flutter slightly when he grinned so carefree. Sitting down on the floor Lightning grabbed her own beer and a slice of now cold pizza. Fox settled himself down in her lap and fell asleep.

"What are you two playing?" Lightning asked after a long mouthful of beer. It looked to be one of the war games that Callen occasionally had an interest in. Their XBox was rarely used and sat in the cupboard most of the time.

"Modern Warfare" Callen said with his eyes never leaving the screen.

Lightning rolled her eyes at the response she got. Callen didn't do things by halves, when he did get into a game it would take a bomb going off to distract him. She finished her pizza and drained her beer in a few long swallows. Callen had splashed out and gotten an imported German beer he was fond of. It was smooth and went down far too easily. No wonder the 2 of them had managed half a carton. Reaching for another beer Lightning popped the lid off it.

"You two do realize it's after midnight" she said casually before starting on her second beer.

That was enough to get Callen's attention. He paused the game and look at his watch with a loud groan.

"Fuck I thought it was only about 9" he sat back and rubbed his eyes.

"Oops" Glorfindel added sheepishly.

"And you have all those interviews to do tomorrow as well Cal" Lightning smiled sweetly.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck and fuck it all" Callen got up swearing and headed to bed without a backwards glance. He threw a casual goodnight over his shoulder before slamming his door shut. Lightning couldn't help but smirk, they weren't having much luck finding another 2 groom's to help out. Most were single females who were more interested in throwing themselves at Callen. Lightning had finally given up doing the interviews and was leaving it for Callen to deal with. That way he could gauge their reactions before giving them a job trial.

With Callen in bed Lightning climbed up off the floor, much to Fox's dismay, and into Glorfindel's lap before he could get up. He smiled as she leant in to kiss him.

"Did you miss me?" Lightning asked just hovering her lips above his.

"Every second you're out of my sight I miss you" Glorfindel didn't give her a chance to reply. He grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her into him for a long kiss. Lightning felt like her insides melted into puddles of goo at his touch. His reply to her simple question was enough to push her fears aside for tonight and just get lost in the moment.

"Come to bed" Lightning said against his lips. She bit back a squeal as Glorfindel just picked her up as if she weighed nothing and carried her into her bedroom. Fox followed with a sniff of annoyance at being on the floor and not carried to bed like he was used to. The pair fell into bed with Glorfindel on top, he never even faltered in his feather light kisses down her neck. Lightning giggled and squirmed underneath him as he hit a ticklish spot.

"I need to get undressed" Lightning tried to squirm out from underneath him. She was completely pinned down and threw a pouty look at Glorfindel.

"I think I can help with that" he was off her in a blink of an eye and a second later Lightning's shirt was on the floor. Gently pushing her back down he was at the front of her pants unbuttoning the tight white driving pants. Once he pulled them off he sat back with with a satisfied smirk on his face.

"Well now you've started, don't stop now" Lightning giggled as Glorfindel instantly pounced back on her and proceeded to take off what little was left of her clothes.

**Authors Note**

Happy end to the chapter! Nothing much happening just digging a bit more into Lightning's past.

I promise Haldir will make an appearance much later on!

Reviews make me happy and motivated to write ;) Surely this much quicker update makes everyone else happy to? Though I do have to say this is all because of my lovely husband buying me a brand new MacBook Air after my laptop died a sad dead a few months ago. It makes writing a lot easier than being on an Ipad thats for sure!


	15. Chapter 15

"No" Lightning grumbled as Hannah pulled another dress of the rack. Hannah sighed in exasperation.

"Come on Lightning the reunion is tomorrow night and you don't have anything to wear! Please try and cooperate" Hannah pleaded as she replaced the dress Lightning had said no to.

"I told you I can just wear my old formal dress or something Hannah, it's fine" Lightning said completely unconcerned about her lack of attire.

"Really, you really want to wear something you wore to our formal 10 years ago and show up in the same thing?" Hannah arched an eyebrow. Lightning let out an long suffering sigh. Hannah was right of course. It'd be feeding herself to the sharks before she even started. Lightning had never been popular. She was a music nerd in school and Hannah was her only friend. She had been tall and awkward right up until her final months in school. A perfect targets for the bullies. She had let most of it slide right off her, not caring about what anyone said about her. Yet deep down she knew she wanted to go into this reunion making a stand out impression. Her stubbornness was just coming through at the inappropriate time.

"Do you even have any idea of what you want to wear?" Hannah asked as she pulled another dress out. She pulled a face and put it back without asking for Lightning's opinion.

"No, which I why I think painting myself blue and showing up like that is a good idea" Lightning kept her face perfectly neutral. Hannah gawked at her for a second before dissolving into giggles. Lightning joined in soon after causing the rest of the customers in the shop to shoot them strange looks.

Lightning, Hannah, Glorfindel and Callen had all gone into the city as a last ditch effort to try and find something for Lightning to wear. So far their hour and a half drive and several hours wandering around the shops had come up with nothing. Callen and Glorfindel had left them to grab a drink while they checked out this last shop before lunch.

"Honestly Hannah I want to look drop dead gorgeous and amazing but I really can't be bothered" Lightning said honestly "I didn't even want to go but you insisted."

"As if I was ever going to go by myself" Hannah snorted and then turned away from the rack "There's nothing here to suit a stick insect like you so lets go have lunch."

"Gee thanks" Lightning rolled her eyes but followed her best friend out of the shop. Glorfindel and Callen were sitting outside both looking impatient. Both of them leapt to their feet looking relieved when the girls emerged from the shop.

"Don't you two look cute out here both looking bored out of your brains" Hannah teased. Callen just rolled his eyes and gave her a playful shove.

"Oh yes we look great sitting out here looking like a gay couple" Callen snorted "I vote Sushi Train for lunch."

"Do we even get a choice in the matter?" Hannah asked with a grin linking her arm through Callen's. The pair strode ahead leaving Lightning to lag behind with Glorfindel who was watching Callen and Hannah curiously.

"Did they ever?" he let the question hang in the air and Lightning was shaking her head before the question was finished.

"No I told him years ago she was off limits being my only female friend and for once he actually listened to me."

"Did you find anything to wear?" Glorfindel asked after a nod.

Lightning shook her head and without thinking found his hand in hers. She glanced down with a smile tugging at her lips despite her frustration. Things had been going so much more smoothly after her talk with Bill. She no longer argued over letting him pay for things if they went out. He had surprised her with a custom saddle for Soloman and she had even surprised herself with the actual glee of it without over analysing the situation.

"No I've decided I want to look fabulous without looking like a chiffon and tule factory explosion happened on my body" she finally answered.

"You'd look fabulous wearing a sack so I'm sure whatever you find will be fine" Glorfindel chuckled.

"It might have to be a sack or naked the way I'm going" Lightning said.

"I'm more than happy for you to be naked whenever you need to in my presence" Glorfindel said cheekily. Lightning chuckled in response but said nothing.

The pair walked along in comfortable silence. Lightning was glancing in shop windows every time they walked past a clothing store. Callen and Hannah had stopped just ahead of them staring at a window.

"Uh oh I wonder what they've found" Lightning muttered as they walked up to them.

"Look" Callen pointed at a poster in the window.

Lightning glanced at the poster and couldn't help but stare. Of course the first dress she had instantly taking a like to was only an advertisement for the new Spring collection coming out soon for a designer label.

"It's a poster Cal" Lightning couldn't help but have some grumble in her voice.

"Yes but Guy knows the designer" Callen said smugly.

Glorfindel took a look at the poster and nearly groaned. Of course it had to be one of Andrea's designs. The only dress that had made Lightning's eyes light up all day, it couldn't be anything but one of hers.

"You know Andrea Thatch?" Hannah whirled around to stare at Glorfindel in amazement.

"Yes I do" Glorfindel felt incredibly uncomfortable "We dated briefly."

"Oh" Lightning said and tugged his hand along away from the shop poster. She felt a pang of disappointment walking away. The dress would have been perfect. She felt Glorfindel give her a small pull that stopped her in her tracks. He was on the phone and Lightning could hear it ringing.

"Guy you're not" Lightning said only to have him put his finger on her lips to hush her. She suddenly felt butterflies in her stomach. Lightning couldn't help that childish feeling that she really wanted THAT particular dress and no other would do. The fact he was already on the phone trying to make it happen for her made the butterflies tap dance in joy.

"Andrea darling how are you" Glorfindel said as the person on the other end answered. Andrea answered something Lightning couldn't hear which made him roll his eyes. She snorted with contained laughter at the look on his face. It was nothing short of pained. Lightning felt awful now for even considering the dress.

"The black dress in the poster launching your Spring collection" Glorfindel asked with a pregnant pause "I need one in a size?"

He looked to Lightning in question. She quickly flashed 8 with her fingers and Glorfindel nodded in confirmation.

"US size 6."

Andrea was talking rapidly on the other end of the line, loud enough for Lightning to hear but not enough for her to make out the words. From the sound of her tone she certainly didn't sound too happy about it.

"Of course it's not for sale being a one of a kind of your designs" Glorfindel said smoothly in response to her "I'm simply needing it for a very important event which I will send back when it's done."

Glorfindel rolled his eyes again and made a talking motion with his hand. Lightning clapped a hand over her mouth so she didn't break out in laughter. The butterflies disappeared and she felt giddy that he was even doing this for her. Hannah and Callen didn't hold back, they were far away enough that their laughter wouldn't be heard on the phone.

"Lovely I'll text you the delivery address for your assistant tomorrow morning, pack me a matching suit for a formal night that will match" Glorfindel hung up without another word. Lightning stood there with her mouth slightly agape while he sent the text message. Glorfindel glanced up at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Did you just manage to get me a one of a kind designer dress?" Lightning met his raised eyebrow with her own.

"Of course" Glorfindel said smoothly "Nothing but the best Miss McKenzie."

Lightning grinned instantly remembering back to their first night together in Kentucky.

"I don't suppose a thank you can even come close?" Lightning said.

"Thank me later on" Glorfindel grinned at the implication "But now you have to get jewellery and it's my choice oh and don't forget shoes."

Lightning nearly groaned but held her hands up in defeat. She grabbed Glorfindel in a tight hug which he happily returned.

"I will wear whatever you want me to."

"Come on lets have lunch" Glorfindel said keeping his arm around Lightning and led her to the still giggling Hannah and Callen.

Sushi Train was only a few shops down and the 4 of them settled into a private booth in the corner. The waitress came to take their drink orders and as soon as she left Lightning had already pulled 2 plates off the conveyer belt. She dipped her first roll of sushi in soy sauce and had it poised to her mouth.

"Come on Lightning show us how you use chopsticks" Callen said clacking his together with ease.

Lightning shot him a filthy look and ignored him. She had never been able to get the hang of chopsticks no matter how hard she tried. It always ended up with a mess on her clothes. Even though she was dressed plainly in a shirt and jeans it was one of her favorite shirts she was given in Kentucky. The last thing she wanted was for a great big soy sauce stain on the front of it.

"Tell Guy and Callen about your dress Hannah" Lightning smoothly changed the subject. Her best friend just grinned at the not so subtle hint.

"It's just a simple gold dress with thin straps and diamond patterns with little crystals, simple but pretty" Hannah suppled stabbing a piece of sushi with her chopstick "And I'm thinking of a very simply up do for my hair."

"Sounds awesome, you know you can do whatever you want with my hair" Lightning said reaching over for another plate of sushi.

"Actually make it an up do as well" Glorfindel said flashing a smile to Hannah "I have plans for Lightning's jewellery."

Lightning shot him a slightly worried look but said nothing. For once she was just going to go with the flow of things.

"I'm actually disappointed I'm not going" Callen said "I was quite fond of getting into some of those uptight bitches pants when we were in high school."

Lightning rolled her eyes at her bother. Glorfindel just let out a snort of laughter.

"You're such a slut" Hannah said with mock disgust.

"Yeah but you love me" Callen laughed as he wrapped his arms around Hannah and squeezed her tightly. She shoved him away but Callen held on.

"Someone has to love that ugly mug of yours" Hannah pulled a face and gave him another shove. He relinquished his hold on her with a look of mock hurt on his face.

"You two are embarrassing" Glorfindel said with a shake of his head.

"I agree" Lightning said.

"I'll behave then" Callen sighed dramatically holding up his hands in defeat.

"All done in there?" Hannah's voice could be heard outside the door. Lightning was standing in her underwear with one of Hannah's young apprentices finished off her spray tan.

"Just one more little bit to blend" the apprentice said as she sprayed the cold tanning solution on Lightning. She couldn't help but jump a bit at the cold spray on his skin. How Hannah had talked her into a spray tan for tonight she would never know. It seemed like such a good idea at the time. Now she wasn't so sure how it was going to turn out.

"All done" the apprentice smiled as she stood back "You look amazing Lightning."

"I still have to get my make up on" Lightning said feeling a bit embarrassed. Hannah had already done her hair in an elaborate hairstyle. She had braided it down the side of her head and ended it in a complicated twist at the base of her neck. What felt like an entire can of hairspray and 100 hair pins went into keeping it into place. Lightning prayed it stayed in the entire night.

"Like you need make up to look good" the apprentice rolled her eyes as she shuffled her into a robe and out the door into Hannah's capable hands.

Hannah's hair and make up were both already done. She had opted for a bronzed look to bring out the gold in her dress. With subtle shimmering eye shadow she looked amazing.

"Sit" Hannah guided her to the chair and gently forced her down. Lightning resisted the urge to fidget. She had been at Hannah's shop for the last 3 hours getting ready for the reunion tonight. The fussing was something she wasn't used to, she didn't even go through this much for her own wedding.

The make up artist got to work on Lightning straight away. Closing her eyes Lightning sighed lightly. She shouldn't be ungrateful, Hannah had gone to a lot of trouble to make everything perfect for tonight. She had closed the salon early and kept her entire team of workers there just for them. Their dresses hung in the back room ready for them. As soon as her make up was done they would get dressed and wait for the car to pick them up. Glorfindel and Hannah's fiancé Drew would be waiting in the car for them. Lightning had almost been giddy with happiness when her dress had arrived first thing this morning with an exhausted looking assistant.

It was more beautiful in person than on the poster. A halter neck black dress with a slit up to mid thigh in the right hand side. The neckline and body was encrusted in what she found to be real Swarovski crystals. There was a sheer patch that showed enough skin in the cleavage to be sexy but not over the top. The slit up the leg was almost lined with crystals as well as random ones over the body of the dress. It has a small train down the back. Her shoes were simple silver ones with a large heel on them.

"Look up" the make up artist instructed as she applied a layer of mascara.

Lightning dared to sneak a look at herself. The person staring back at her in the mirror couldn't be her. The make up artist had gone for a dark smokey cat eye makeup with a touch of silver through it. The mascara made her normally long eyelashes look like they went on forever. Once the make up artist had finished with the mascara she applied a dark red lipstick and handed the tube to Lightning when she was done.

"Wow" was all Lightning could say staring in the mirror. Who was this sensual creature staring back at her. For once in her life she felt amazingly beautiful.

Hannah was already out the back stepping into her dress. Lightning stepped up and helped her zip it up into place. When Hannah turned around to look at Lightning she grinned in delight.

"You look amazing" Hannah gave her a quick hug.

"You do too" Lightning said as she took a step back to look at her best friend.

"Here" Hannah got Lightning's dress and helped her ease it over her head so she didn't muse her hair or make up. Lightning straightened it and tugged at it awkwardly. The fabric hugged her body comfortably. It was like the dress was designed just for her. It fitted her perfectly. Lightning sat down and pulled her heels onto her feet and steeled herself to open the 2 Tiffany boxes that contained her jewellery.

The first one were drop earrings with diamonds on the top and bottom. Both Lightning and Hannah gasped in delight as the box opened. They were so simple yet amazingly elegant. The second box was a diamond bracelet. Alternating diamond one shaped like a flower and the other a simple round cut. It was heavy for something so delicate looking. Lightning didn't even want to think of how much it had cost. Slipping both earrings and bracelet on she took one final look in the mirror. Words couldn't even begin how to describe how she felt. A sex goddess was looking back at her in place of her reflection. She felt as if she belonged on the red carpet, not just going to a school reunion.

Stepping out of the back room the pair were met with a chorus of squeals and gasps as Hannah's workers cooed over them. Glancing at the clock on the wall they both knew the car would be here any minute. Gathering their evening bags that had already been packed earlier they bother scuttled out as quickly as their heels would take them. The shopping centre was close to closing time yet there were still plenty of customers around. Nearly every set of eyes turned to stare at them as the pair strode through to the carpark. A white stretch limousine was waiting for them in the carpark. As they approached Glorfindel and Drew both climbed out of the back of the car.

"A limo, really Guy" Lightning smiled as she walked up.

"Only the best" he grinned as he held the door open for her.

Glorfindel offered his hand to Lightning to help her climb into the car. For some reason Lightning felt herself blush at his touch. He held her hand and gently kissed the back of it.

"You look amazing" Glorfindel flashed a brilliant smile.

"You don't look too bad either" Lightning said smugly feeling her blush die down as she climbed into the car. As she settled down in her seat Glorfindel handed her a flute of champagne. Hannah and Drew had settled in the other seat and both had the same.

"Cheers" Lightning raised her glass "Here's to looking hot and surviving high school all over again."

It was an hour drive to where the function was being held. The 4 of them eased into an easy conversation as the champagne flowed freely. Lightning had to stop herself after the 4th glass. She had barely eaten all day with the mad preparations that needed to be done. She had gotten up extra early and dragged poor Kayla out of bed so she could get the horses that she needed to work personally done before the day was out. Thankfully they were in winter although chilly in the mornings the days were beautiful and sunny. Lightning was shedding off her jacket by mid morning to bask in the sun. This time of year living in a tropical climate had it advantages. By the time she had ridden Beau, Yarraman and Solly the stables had come to life with the rest of the new staff doing feeds and mucking out. They had finally gotten 2 new girls to stay on and both seemed to be doing well. Kayla was blossoming in the responsibility of managing the stables had never looked better and for the first time in months Lightning and Callen didn't seem exhausted at the end of every day. They could actually take a bit of time away from the stables now. Lightning had also given Glorfindel a quick lesson on Hank whom he'd taken an immense liking to. Despite her reservations of giving him lessons it was actually working out well. They both enjoyed the lessons and Lightning was hinting at him that he should ride Hank in the next planned competition.

The reunion was at one of the fanciest restaurants in the city. The massive function rooms had both been booked out to deal with the large number of guests. In their graduating class alone there had been 200 girls. With everyone's partners there would be near 400 people there tonight plus the old teachers that had agreed to come along. That was one of the few things Lightning was actually looking forward to tonight. Despite having a smart mouth and it getting her into trouble often, Lightning actually got along fairly well with most of her teachers. The closer they got the more Lightning had to fight the urge to stop fidgeting with anything within reach of her fingers. By the time the limousine had pulled up in front of the function Lightning's hands were slick with sweat and she could feel her heart pounding. She kept trying to wipe the sweat off her hands on the seat of the car not to ruin the dress. All she succeeded in doing was covering the seats in a slick stain.

Hannah and Drew made their way out of the car first without even a backwards glance towards Lightning and Glorfindel. Lightning found it hard to make her legs start working to get herself out of the car. She was almost certain her pulse could be seen in her neck, her heart was pounding that hard. Her legs wobbled in the heels she was wearing and she nearly tipped herself over as soon as she stepped out of the car. Glorfindel was instantly at her side holding her steady. He was so quick Lightning hadn't even seen him get out of the car. It unnerved her slightly when he did that. There were somedays where he scared the daylights out of her by just appearing from nowhere.

"Are you ok?" he asked steadying her by gently grabbing her waist.

"Fine" Lightning forced out a breathless laugh "Silly heels."

"Silly heels or nerves?" Glorfindel asked with concern laced through his voice.

"Silly heels" Lightning swallowed heavily while not meeting his eyes. Glorfindel gently tipped her chin to look him in the eye and gave her a gentle smile. Lightning felt her knees go weak for a completely different reason. When Glorfindel smiled his entire face lit up and Lightning found she could get lost in his deep blue eyes.

"I love that you're so tall you can look me in the eye in heels" Glorfindel murmured quietly as he tucked a stray hair behind her ear. Despite the can of hairspray Lightning's hair still had a mind of it's own and it was determined to misbehave at least a little bit. Through her nerves she found the ability to smile again even if it felt wobbly on her face. Despite all her reservations on the relationship it made her heart flutter whenever he said the L word. Even when it was only thrown in with a compliment. Lightning found herself almost wishing he'd say the word for real soon. Almost. She wasn't quite ready to go that far yet.

"Good thing you're tall too then" Lightning said. It was true, at just 6 foot tall many men found her height intimidating. Glorfindel was an easy 6'3, so it was a nice change for Lightning to have to look up slightly to someone besides Callen.

"Why are you nervous?" Glorfindel asked and before Lightning could protest he raised an eyebrow. She knew the question wasn't option in not answering when he did that. They could be as stubborn as each other when they wanted to.

"Because high school for me was the worst 5 years of my life" Lightning felt the words tumbling out before she could stop herself "I'd gone from a small mixed country school where I was captain of the soccer team in a team full of boys to being thrown into a massive all girls school. Did you know if I wasn't on scholarship my school fees were nearly $35,000 a year and one of the most expensive and exclusive private schools in Australia?"

Lightning didn't want for him to answer before she continued.

"Besides Hannah nobody liked me. I was too outspoken, too loud, too rough and I just didn't fit in. The popular girls made my life hell and even the unpopular girls didn't want anything to do with me. I was the school's most successful musician and equestrian rider yet it did nothing to stop the girls scorning at me. I graduated in the top 1% of musicians in the country and had offers thrown at me left right and centre. I hated the pressure of it all so I chose to just keep riding and driving and see where it took me."

Her chest heaved and she felt tears coming to her eyes that she rapidly blinked away.

"My nickname was the Ugly Duckling because I was so tall and gangly throughout high school. It wasn't until my last term of year 12 I actually started to look like a real person instead of some mismatched thing from a swamp."

Glorfindel put his finger over her lips to silence her.

"But you're not that girl anymore Lightning, the Ugly Duckling blossomed into a beautiful swan who is now one of the most successful riders in the world" Glorfindel gave her a light kiss before continuing "I didn't know anything about your music except I've heard you sing like a goddess and play the piano beautifully enough to make me cry. You're an amazing woman, not a little girl anymore. Hold your head up high and march in there like you own the world. No one has permission to pull you down unless you let them."

Lightning took a few calming breaths before a real smile started to creep onto her lips. Her heartbeat had slowed to a normal pace and her palms no longer felt like a sprinkler was running out of them.

"Where were you ten years ago to give me that advice" Lightning laughed softly. Glorfindel gave a low chuckle.

"In a monastery in Nepal trying to find myself I believe, though I could have also been chasing Dan and Rohan through Europe with a leash on both of them so they didn't go bankrupt within 5 minutes" Glorfindel said.

"Now that's one story you haven't told me" Lightning snorted "That can be one for the car trip home."

"It's a long story" Glorfindel gave Lightning a tight hug "And you're not going home tonight either."

"Oh Guy" Lightning sighed in mock exasperation "What have you done this time?"

"You'll see" and before Lightning could say anything Glorfindel pulled her in for a deep kiss.

"You spoil me far too much" Lightning murmured against his lips. She could feel his lips smiling against hers.

"It's not spoiling when you deserve it, come on" he untangled himself from Lightning almost reluctantly and took her hand. Tugging on it gently he started to walk into the restaurant. Lightning let out a deep breath and followed him in.

The function was near beyond extravagant. Coming from such an expensive school most of the girls had gone on to either successful high flying careers or married into one. A champagne fountain was one of the crowning decorations. A sea of bright coloured dresses swarmed around it, only being broken up by the men's dark coloured suits. A room full of just rows and rows of tables sat beyond the reception room ready for dinner. Waiters swarmed around looking harassed with large trays of drinks and extravagant canapés. Lightning managed to snag them both glass of champagne before the waiter near her disappeared.

Handing the other glass to Glorfindel she raised it in a small toast.

"Here's to surviving tonight" Lightning smiled and clinked her glass against his.

"Here's to surviving high school a much better person" Glorfindel grinned and took a long swallow. Lightning did the same and before she could swallow her mouthful she was swarmed on by a group of females.

"Lightning McKenzie? Is that really you?" a short blonde female nearly had to crane her neck up to look at Lightning despite her huge heels. She was impeccably dressed in a stunning midnight blue sleeveless gown. Behind her stood 2 brunettes with heavy makeup, one dressed in green and the other in pale pink. All 3 of them wore the same stunned expressions. Lightning had to resist the urge to walk up and tap their mouths shut.

"Of course it is, no one else was this tall" Lightning quipped with a sweet smile on her face "How are you Kristy, Bella and Candice? Lovely to see you all."

"My, my haven't you done well for yourself" Kristy purred as she looked Glorfindel up and down with admiration. She then cast a critical eye over Lightning's dress and let out a small sigh of envy. Lightning had to stop herself from smirking with satisfaction.

"My boyfriend Guy" Lightning took Glorfindel's arm " Guy this is Kristy, Candice in the pink and Bella in the green."

"It's a pleasure ladies" Glorfindel took care to make his accent stronger than needed. All 3 of them nearly swooned as he flashed a smile. He saw Lightning roll her eyes slightly out of the corner of his eye. He had to stopped himself from grinning at her well hidden look of disgust. It wasn't hard to tell that she despised these girls. Glorfindel could only imagine how hard they would have made her life. All 3 of them were made up within an inch of perfection. All wore heavy make up, expertly coloured hair that only came at 4 figure hairdressers, bleached perfect teeth and spray tans. Their bodies were thin and well toned from obvious hours at the gym.

"Where are you from Guy? What a lovely accent you have" Bella giggled like a young school girl as she smiled at Glorfindel.

"Switzerland" Glorfindel said as he pulled Lightning to his side wrapping an arm around her waist protectively. The subtle hint was not lost on the 3 woman who quickly exchanged small talk and pleasantries before moving on.

"Holy shit, I thought hell would freeze over before I saw those 3 ever saying a civil word to me" Lightning let out a breathless laugh after they walked away "They were the 3 main instigators of my misery in high school."

"Well having the best looking boyfriend here probably helps" Glorfindel joked earning him a playful nudge in the ribs. He tightly held onto Lightning so she couldn't do much more damage. Before they could go any further in their conversation, Lightning's face lit up in a delighted smile. Glorfindel found himself practically being dragged across the room to a tiny frail looking woman. As soon as she saw Lightning her face lit up with a large smile.

"Mrs Soto so good to see you" Lightning stopped in front of the tiny woman.

"Please my dear you're an adult now , Elana is fine" Elana reached up and pulled Lightning into a hug "My what an incredible young woman you turned into."

"Mrs…. I mean Elana, this is my boyfriend Guy" Lightning freed herself from the tiny womans embrace. Glorfindel bent down slightly to kiss her on the cheek and found himself pulled into a surprisingly tight embrace.

"Guy, Elana was my music teacher in school" Lightning explained as Glorfindel straightened up from the hug.

"And you were my best pupil I've ever had in my 40 years of teaching" Elana smile couldn't get any bigger.

"Oh I wasn't, there have been better students than me" Lightning brushed away the praise.

"If there was they haven't been in my classroom" Elana said dryly "The day when you told me you had refused your scholarship to London I nearly died. Then seeing all the coverage of you doing your horse riding I couldn't have been any prouder of you."

Lightning felt herself turn 7 shades of red, not only under Elana's proud look but Glorfindel's slightly amused yet shocked expression. She could remember the day all too well. Lightning had sat down after a music class with Elana and simply showed her the letter from the Royal Academey of Music in London. Lightning hadn't even shown the letter to her parents yet. Elana read the letter 3 times before the words actually sunk in and practically shrieked in excitement. A full scholarship, not unlike the one she had for high school. Except this time it was the most prestigious music school in the world. Before Elana could get too excited Lightning blurted out that she wasn't going. She wasn't even going to accept her Australian offers and go to any university. She was going to concentrate on being a horse rider for awhile to take the pressure off. Although Elana had understood Lightning could still remember her teachers eyes brimming with tears as she walked out of the classroom. Even 10 years later the horrible pang of guilt and sadness still hit her when she thought about it.

Before anything else could be said a person stepped up to the microphone and announced dinner would be starting in 5 minutes and everyone needed to take their places at the tables. Lightning promised to talk to Elana later as Glorfindel placed a hand on her back and guided her to their table. Much to Lightning's relief, Hannah and Drew were sitting beside her. Hannah was meant to sit on the other side of Drew but a quick poke and her fiance gave up his seat next to Lightning. Glorfindel had an almost pained expression on his face as a woman who's face was familiar but Lightning couldn't place her name sat down next to him. He smiled politely and quickly turned to Lightning for a conversation.

"So my sexy Maestro" Glorfindel drawled "Where you ever going to tell me you got accepted into one of the best music schools in the world?"

Lightning squirmed in her seat slightly and tried to smile sweetly. However it wavered on her face at the smouldering look on Glorfindel's face. She didn't know whether to apologise or excuse both of them for a private moment somewhere. There were times when she couldn't tell if he was joking, or getting ready to take her across his knee and spank her. She was thankfully saved by the slight twitching on the corner of his mouth. She slapped down the thoughts that kept blood rushing to other parts of her body and concentrated back on the conversation.

"You look flushed Miss McKenzie" Glorfindel shot her a cheeky smile.

"Of course I'm flushed, I was just thinking of you taking me over your knee and giving me a good spanking" Lightning smiled innocently. Glorfindel had raised his glass to take a drink and choked on the mouthful he had.

"I need to learn not to take a drink when you get that innocent look on your face it always means trouble" Glorfindel shook his head. Lightning couldn't help but let the smile on her face turn into a naughty grin.

"Ugh would you two get a room" Hannah said in disgust.

Before Lightning could reply their entree was served. Placed in front of her was a plate of carefully arranged sea scallops on a bed of strange looking salad. Glorfindel got a plate of similar arranged prawns with a bed of something Lightning couldn't even describe. Lightning simply looked at her plate with a raised eyebrow. She would be finished that food within a minute and still be hungry. Glorfindel was looking at his own plate in amusement.

"I hate artsy food" Glorfindel said catching Lightning's eye with am amused smirk "Remind me to order room service in advance for a decent feed."

"Artsy food?" Lightning raised a questioning eyebrow. Deep down she was highly amused though. Glorfindel was letting small differences in his speech slip through more and more these days. Saying a decent feed was something Callen said often. Plus he also gave away part of his plan for later on tonight.

"Yes Artsy food, it looks pretty but leaves you craving nothing but a cheeseburger afterwards" Glorfindel explained matching Lightning's raised eyebrow.

"I don't think I've ever seen you eat a cheeseburger" Lightning snorted as she stabbed one of her scallops with a fork. She regarded it carefully before putting it in her mouth. Though tiny in size it did taste divine.

"I eat cheeseburgers about as often as you wear a dress" Glorfindel said as he pushed his prawns around the plate before finally putting one on his fork. He took a tentative bite and pulled a face.

"Not keen?" Lightning asked as she slowly ate another scallop.

"Not keen at all, prawns need to be fresh from the ocean" Glorfindel pushed his plate away "Preferably being eaten on the deck on Dan's disgustingly large boat on the coast of Thailand."

"Why does it not surprise me that Dan has an insanely large boat?" Lightning said.

"You know what boys are like with their toys" Glorfindel snorted and Lightning couldn't help but laugh.

"Indeed I do" Lightning said and pushed her own plate away once she was finished the small amount of scallops on it. The salad just looked to bizarre to even contemplate eating.

"What toys do you have Guy?" the woman next to Glorfindel asked butting in on their conversation. Lightning stared daggers at her but she hardly seemed to notice. She was the typical type in the room. Blonde, fake tanned and gorgeous. Yet Lightning still couldn't place her. She nudged Hannah in the ribs.

"Who's that?" Lightning asked quietly as Glorfindel strained to put a smile on his face as he rattled off his list of things he had. Her eyes grew even wider when he hit the part about having a private jet.

"Ugh seriously Lightning how could you not remember Emma?" Hannah's voice dripped with venom "Horrid thing, get your gorgeous boyfriend away from her before he catches something."

Emma glanced over at the pair with a look cold enough to freeze the prawns on the plate. Hannah had said it loud enough for half the table to hear. Lightning and Hannah both smiled sweetly at her.

"What a catch you are Guy" Emma turned her attention back to Glorfindel "Perhaps you'd like to come back to my place and find out what a real woman is."

"No thank you I don't like plastic women" it was Glorfindel's turn to smile sweetly. Lightning nearly gagged on the air she breathed. She couldn't believe what he had just said. Neither could most of the table as their heads swivelled towards them. Hannah snorted in a vain attempt to not burst out laughing.

"Well it's obvious that you haven't found what you want otherwise there'd be a ring on her wrinkly sun damaged hands" Emma sneered as she glared at Lightning. Emma's voice had risen to several octaves above normal. The entire table went eerily silent as they all gaped in horror at Emma.

"I would fix that in a heartbeat if I knew she'd say yes" Glorfindel said softly though his tone was frosty "Now if you'll excuse me."

Lightning felt like someone had punched her in the stomach. Her face went several shades of white as she gaped at Glorfindel. It wasn't until Hannah pinched her leg hard under the table she remembered to breath. Letting out a breath Lightning couldn't help but stare in horror and shock at Glorfindel. He simply gazed back as her with a bemused expression on his face. Lightning opened her mouth but Glorfindel quickly lent over and kissed her softly.

"Not here" he breathed against her lips and Lightning gave a tight nod of agreement. As he sat back in his chair the table erupted nervous chatter as if nothing had happened. Emma got up from her seat and stalked off much to Lightning's relief.

The main meal was served and Lightning barely took notice of what it was as she shovelled the few mouthfuls into her mouth. Somewhere during the meal Glorfindel took her hand in his and squeezed it gently. Lightning managed a weak smile at him with her mind still reeling. One thought kept going over and over in her mind.

Where the FUCK did that just come from?

The main meal was cleared and before dessert could be served Hannah grabbed Lightning's arm.

"Ladies room break" Hannah apologised and all but dragged Lightning out to the bathrooms. As they stepped into the thankfully empty bathroom Hannah let go of her arm.

"You need to chill Lightning, you're as pale as a ghost" Hannah scowled at her friend. Lightning slumped against the wall resisting the urge to bury her head in her hands. It would ruin her intricate make up.

"Where the fuck did that just come from Hannah?" Lightning's voice nearly cracked "I've barely known him 5 minutes and he comes out with he'd marry me!"

"Calm the fuck down Lightning" Hannah rolled her eyes "I'm sure he wasn't serious he's just telling Emma to fuck off in a big way. For fuck sake stop overreacting about every little thing in your relationship."

"That's a lot of fucks in a sentence" Lightning shot back, though feeling slightly calmer with Hannah's explanation.

Well fuck the fucking fuckers Lightning" Hannah said with a snort. Lightning couldn't help it she let out a small laugh.

"Dirty bitch."

"Overreactive psycho" Hannah snorted and then began to laugh. Lightning relaxed and joined in.

"Goddamit when did I become so serious?" Lightning muttered when the laughter died down "Before fuckwit I would have played along with a comment like that so well. Now it just freaks me out."

"Because you were with fuckwit and didn't listen to anyone about him being a fuckwit" Hannah rolled her eyes "Come on lets go back inside and see what other horrid food they're serving us."

Lightning and Hannah stepped outside the toilet and nearly ran straight into Glorfindel. He was standing by the entrance with concern etched all over his face.

"Hi" Lightning said feeling suddenly sheepish. She had overreacted badly and she had no idea how this was going to go down.

"Hi" Glorfindel gave her a lopsided smile with made her heart do a backflip.

"I'll see you both inside" Hannah said as she scooted off as quickly as her heels would allow her.

"I was erm" Glorfindel cleared his throat looking embarrassed "I was standing here making sure you wouldn't run off leaving me all alone with these predators."

"Oh really" Lightning snorted.

"I can see why you didn't want to come to this, these women terrify me" Glorfindel shuddered running his hand through his blonde hair "If I didn't have you to protect me I dont know what I'd do."

"Guy" Lightning had to hold in a giggle. The way he was standing there looking like a lost, scared boy was too much for Lightning to be mad at him. When he opened his arms, Lightning gladly enveloped herself into them.

"I didn't mean to scare you" Glorfindel murmured into her hair.

"And I didn't mean to completely freak out about it" Lightning inhaled against his chest. He was wearing that certain cologne that she loved. It was mixed in with the smell of his favourite body wash, freshly laundered clothes and just him. Over these last few months it had become her favourite smell.

"Do you want to leave? We can get cheeseburgers on the way home and drink wine out of the bottle in the hotel room?" Glorfindel murmured in her hair.

"How romantic of you Guy" Lightning said amused by his proposal "However I'd like to stay at least for dessert then we can do whatever you want."

"Whatever I want?" Glorfindel stepped back and held Lightning at arms length with a wicked smile creeping onto his face. Flashes of what he could be imagining popped into Lightning's head straight away. The mention of a hotel room instantly brought back memories of a night spent in the spa in Kentucky.

"Does this room have a spa?" Lightning asked. Glorfindel instantly caught onto what she was getting at and his grin spread wider.

"Of course it does, I remember you being very fond of the one in Kentucky."

"Fuck dessert" Lightning said grabbing Glorfindel's hand. Before she could drag him away he gently tugged her back inside.

"Say goodbye to Hannah first" he said gently.

"Hannah!" Lightning called out loudly. 400 pairs of eyes swivelled towards her, yet Lightning ignored every single one of them and strode towards her best friend.

"We're going" Lightning announced. The words weren't missed on anybody as Lightning emphasised the first word.

"Of course you are" Hannah rolled her eyes and gave her a quick hug "Have fun."

Lightning strode out of the room and latched herself onto Glorfindel's arm.

Glorfindel glanced over Lightning's shoulder at that clock glowing on the bedside clock. He had just been drifting asleep when he was jolted awake. Lightning was sleeping peacefully curled up naked beside him. Kissing her brow gently Lightning murmured in her sleep before settling down again. It was 1:15am and they had only gone to sleep half an hour earlier.

It had been an emotional night. What he had said to the vile woman sitting next to him he meant every word of it. He didn't expect Lightning's reaction to be so severe. He was hoping she'd see it for a joke and play along. Once they had gotten back to the hotel Lightning hadn't even given him a chance to say anything. She had his pants off within seconds of opening the door. He couldn't put together a coherent sentence when she had him naked with her on her knees.

He sighed quietly and squeezed her gently. This time she didn't even stir from her sleep. It would have been a long day for Lightning. Glorfindel hadn't even heard her climb out of bed and she had already ridden Yarraman by the time he made his way to the stables. He'd gone back to the house and gotten coffee before she had climbed onto Beau.

It had seemed like a lifetime ago from that night in Kentucky where he stood there watching her on stage singing. The rest that followed with a whirlwind. His lips still curved into a smile when he remembered her sharp rebuke over him paying for her drink on that first night. The playful teasing of her in that impossibly tight dress at dinner and ducking out on him before he could take her back to his hotel. The heart stopping anguish he felt when she'd collapsed off Yarraman after cross country and the relief when she was fine. The lonely nights back at Imladris looking at his phone just wishing for a text from her. Looking back now Glorfindel knew he had found the one he'd been searching for all his life. He'd known it all along but it wasn't until tonight when those words just slipped out of his mouth that it was planted firmly in his heart.

The biggest problem now was getting Lightning to trust him. To trust that he was here for the rest of time for her. Or the rest of her time should she choose. That thought made him frown. He would have to let her know eventually the truth about not only him, but her and Callen as well. Glorfindel sighed again. He and Elladan had already turned their world upside down by their interference in their business. By revealing their true heritage would be a cause of major anguish. A memory of Bill McKenzie suddenly flashed in his mind. That face that was familiar, but yet just out of his touch to put his finger on who it was. Maybe it was time to speak to their father.

Lightning shifted and mumbled in her sleep again breaking Glorfindel from his thoughts. He smiled down at her sleeping figure. Leaning down he brushed his lips against her cheek.

"I love you" he whispered against her skin "And I hope the day I can say that when you're awake without you running away from me isn't too far away."

As if she heard him, Lightning smiled in her sleep and cuddled in closer to him. Glorfindel settled down with her in his arms and drifted off to sleep.

**Authors Note**

**Wow this was long! And long overdue as well. I hope everyone enjoyed it. I had the ending for this chapter written out before anything else. So I hope the rest lives up to expectations.**


	16. Chapter 16

To say it was raining would be an understatement. The rain came down in pouring sheets of icy rain as it had been for the last 2 days. On the first day they had tried to work horses in the newly built indoor arena. However that had proved futile when the wind blew the rain in soaking both horse and rider to the bone. All the horses were tucked into their stables while Lightning, Callen, Glorfindel and Kayla sat inside the house. For people who were always so active, they had slowly begun running out of things to keep themselves occupied.

Callen and Glorfindel had amused themselves on the X-Box for a grand total of 4 hours before they got bored. Kayla was shopping for new boots on her laptop which eventually led to her slamming the laptop shut in frustration. Lightning was trying to read a book but she couldn't concentrate. She'd skim over paragraphs and then have to go back and reread entire pages because she couldn't keep track of what was going on in the story. She eventually followed Kayla's suit and slammed the book shut and wandered into her room.

Fox was snoring on the bed. The little dog didn't even so much as twitch an ear on her as she sat down on the bed with a sigh. The rain wasn't the only thing bothering her. Hannah's wedding was in 2 days and it was meant to be an outdoor ceremony. There had been a panicked text from Hannah this morning about her going to check out her venue. Yet Lightning had heard nothing back from her yet. Glancing at the emerald green bridesmaid dress that hung on the door on her cupboard Lightning felt a pang on envy. Hannah's wedding had been a year and a half planning and with Hannah's parents paying for it she hadn't had to work on a strict budget. Hannah's father was a brain surgeon and her mother a top class criminal lawyer. Hannah was their only child and she had the luxury of being able to ask her parents for everything. Despite this she still worked extremely hard at her hairdressing business and was successful on her own.

Lightning's own wedding had been a quiet and very modest affair. She had found a second hand dress in her tiny budget that she tolerated. There was a celebrant in her parents garden and just a small BBQ afterwards. There had been no money for a honeymoon so they were both back at work on Monday. It was a bitter memory now. Lightning had always dreamed of a huge fairy tale white wedding. It was about the only girly thing she had ever wanted in her life. Yet she couldn't even get that. But part of her was also glad for the fact she didn't go all out on a wedding for a marriage that didn't last long.

"Whatcha doing?" Glorfindel asked as he quietly entered the room closing the door behind him.

"Trying not to go crazy from boredom" Lightning smiled wryly "And hoping Hannah's venue isn't going to get rained out."

Glorfindel sat on the bed next to her and Lightning put her head on his shoulder. She idly drew patterns on his thigh tracing the material of his jeans.

"If you go any higher with those hands we could kill at least an hour of time" Glorfindel placed his hand over hers.

"Only an hour? Are you getting too old to keep up with me" Lightning grinned. Her tracing fingers now turned to her hands sliding up his leg. Before she could blink Glorfindel had her pinned on back with her hands trapped above her head.

"I don't even need an hour to have you squirming underneath me gasping my name, give me 5 minutes" Glorfindel had a lazy smile stretched across his face. Lightning tried to scowl at him but it failed miserably as a laugh bubbled up through her lips.

"You don't play fair" Lightning stuck her tongue out. Glorfindel said nothing in response but dipped his head and kissed her. Lightning moaned against him, arching her body into him as his tongue found hers teasingly. Lightning's phone vibrated on the bedside table before ringing with Hannah's ringtone. Lightning groaned in frustration as Glorfindel broke the kiss. Fumbling on the table she found the phone.

"How'd it go?" Lightning asked without any greeting. She cringed as Hannah wailed in her ear.

"The entire thing is flooded out, there isn't even anyway of getting in for the wet weather option."

"Oh shit" Lightning frowned. She gave Glorfindel a gentle push to get off her so she could sit up.

"Later" Glorfindel whispered in her ear. Lightning's body tightened in response to that promised whisper. She nodded and turned her attention back to Hannah.

"But if it stops raining won't it be ok for the wet weather option?" Lightning tried to soothe Hannah but she wasn't having any of it.

"No the bridge into the place is completely washed out!" Hannah then burst into tears.

"Its ok Han, we'll work it out" Lightning tried to soothe her sobbing friend which only made her cry harder.

"Where am I going to find somewhere for 200 guests on such short notice?" Hannah said between her sobs "It's Thursday."

Lightning bit her lip and had no idea how to respond. Hannah decided for a winter wedding because of her outdoor wedding. Being in Queensland winter was usually very dry and there was little to no chance of rain. The downpour they were currently experienced was completely unseasonal. Lightning sighed and looked to Glorfindel for some kind of suggestion. He just shrugged with a thoughtful frown crossing his face. Without a word of warning he grabbed the phone off Lightning.

"Hannah it's Guy" he said soothingly "What about having it at Lightning's parents place?"

Lightning perked up at the suggestion. Seemingly Hannah did too as she stopped sobbing on the phone.

"Where?" Lightning and Hannah both asked together. Lightning knew the answer as soon as the words were out of her mouth.

At her parents stable there was a massive indoor complex they called the Bullring. It was essentially a fully inclosed 400m racetrack without a rail. In horrible weather like they were having now the horses that couldn't just go on the walker could still comfortably work at slow pace inside. Bill had gone to massive lengths to ensure it would be usable even in cyclonic weather. The surface was as specific type of low dust sand and with the overhead sprinklers the entire thing could be watered down to eliminate any dust.

"And then you can just get ready at Mum and Dad's house" Lightning spoke up into the phone so Hannah could hear her "Everything up there is all weather, and then you're sorted."

Hannah broke into fresh tears causing Lightning to cringe. She knew it wasn't what Hannah wanted. The venue she had picked out was in the middle of a vineyard. The entire thing was specifically done just for weddings. The venue had even managed to create a podium that was grape vines shaped around the small house. All the seats were natural timber from the property. To put it simply it was everything you needed for an outdoor wedding. Lightning knew Hannah had her heart set on the place ever since high school. It would have been breaking her heart to even have to consider something else. Especially something as second rate as an indoor racetrack.

"Hannah?" Lightning asked warily as she pried the phone from Glorfindel.

"Its perfect" Hannah whispered.

And so began the next day and a half of completely rearranging Hannah's wedding. Lightning was the only bridesmaid so the rain was a welcome distraction of not having to work horses. First came the headache of trying to arrange so many chairs on such short notice. Lightning felt as if she had rang the entire phone book before one hire place grudgingly accepted the job. Friday morning thankfully dawned clear but with a chill in the wind. It was enough to dry the ground out near the Bullring so the hire truck didn't get bogged as it dropped the chairs off. By mid morning Lightning's back was aching from rearranging all the chairs twice and fitting the covers and ribbons on them. Then came the finding carpet so Hannah's wedding dress train wouldn't be dragging through the sand. No one had anything on such short notice. Out of desperation Lightning had gone to a carpet store and simply brought what was needed. The price of it made her gulp but she dutifully handed over Hannah's own credit card and got it anyway. Thankfully those people already booked like the caterers and florist to decorate the area were all accommodating about the change of venue. It was 3pm friday afternoon when Lightning took Hannah out on a quad bike to try and find some suitable places for photos.

The paddocks that might have been good photo opportunities were a swamp. Twice the girls had to get off the quad bike and push it out when it became bogged. The second time once it was free both of them collapsed into the mud thoroughly puffed. Fox sat on the front of the quad already covered in mud from going for a roll. His red fur was caked with black sticky mud and he wore a happy dog grin.

"We need a bottle of scotch" Lightning grunted as she tried to catch her breath. Fox jumped down onto her lap and Lightning sighed with disgust. Her jeans would never be the same again. The little dog completely oblivious to her disgust curled up on her legs and gazed adoringly at her.

"The way this week is going a bottle of tequila would be better" Hannah huffed "Honestly I don't ever remember this much fuss going into your wedding."

"Thats because my wedding sucked" Lightning said dryly. Although she tried to squash it down the look of hurt flashed on her face.

"Oh I'm sorry Lightning" Hannah reached over to hug her "I know it wasn't what you wanted and now I'm doing the bridezilla thing because things aren't perfect,"

"Its fine Hannah don't stress over it" Lightning returned the hug and smiled genuinely "Besides who'd want to waste $35,000 on a wedding that only lasted a few months?"

"Well when you and Guy get married I'm sure it'll be even more expensive" Hannah said slyly peeking up at Lightning with a mischievous look on her face. Lightning couldn't help but snort before laughing shortly.

"I think you're getting ahead of yourself a bit there."

"So he hasn't told you he loves you yet?" Hannah seemed to completely ignore Lightning's response.

"No" Lightning said hoping she'd drop the subject as she started to play with Fox's ears.

"And you haven't told him?" Hannah kept probing.

"No."

"Do you love him?" Hannah persisted with pursed lips.

Lightning sighed and looked out over the paddock they were sitting in. It was a beautiful spot when it wasn't covered in 3 inches of rain. The paddock was divided by a shallow creek bed the snaked it way through the massive 100 acres. Weeping willows lined the trees and in them hosted dozens of different bird life. In the afternoons you can see the birds all scrabbling for their roosts. The parrots cawing out loudly and magpies warbled their beautiful songs. Yearlings kicked up their heels and ran amok scattering the small herd of wallabies that lived there. In the summer months the occasional platypus could be seen in the roots of trees lining the creek. The afternoon light filtered through the trees giving the entire paddock an ethereal glow. Lightning was sure if there was heaven on earth it'd be right here in this paddock. She wanted to bring Glorfindel down here one afternoon for a picnic but just hadn't got around to asking him. In her mind it seemed like the perfect spot to utter those few words she was so terrified of saying.

"Maybe" Lightning muttered quietly dragging her eyes away from the landscape before her.

"Maybe?" Hannah probed.

"Maybe" Lightning confirmed with a firm nod of her head "I don't know Hannah it's so soon and it's been such a whirlwind. I don't want to say something and have it all blow up later."

"What if it doesn't blow up later?" Hannah shook her head slowly "What if he's really meant to be the one for you?"

"Then I'll have amazing sex for the rest of my life and I'll never have to use budget accommodation again?" Lightning couldn't help but inject some humour into the situation.

"If he announced to a room full of people he'd ask to marry you if he knew you'd say yes then I'd say you're pretty safe" Hannah ignored her attempt at humour.

"I haven't found the right moment yet" Lightning blew out a breath of air and started to pick at the grass, dropping the blades into Fox's muddy coat. She knew she was acting silly. It had been less than a week since the reunion. Things had been fine between them and nothing further said about his comment. But she'd had a dream on the night of the reunion that he told her that he loved her. Ever since then she had to keep catching herself out of the daydream that he would actually say it. Everything had changed since that night. It was something unspoken but everything seemed more intense. The look he gave her in the mornings waking her up with a kiss melted her heart and wanted to make her blurt out things she never would. He had started talking about things much further on down the track and it was always as we. The subtle hints about moving to Europe with him were now not so subtle. He kept urging her to make a decision about where she wanted to base herself for London Olympics instead of leaving it until the last minute. Lightning just kept pointing out to him regardless of her position in Kentucky there was no guarantee she'd make London.

"Chicken" Hannah muttered in good nature.

Lightning responded by throwing a handful of mud at her. Hannah shrieked in response and within a heartbeat the two of them had a mud slinging match going on. Fox was on his feet in an instant and barking loudly at the pair.

Glorfindel nervously opened the sliding door to the twins parents place. With Hannah's wedding the next day he and Callen had opted to stay with Lightning and Hannah to help with anything that needed doing in the morning. Lightning and Hannah were still out on the quad bike looking for photo places. Callen had already gone in and locked the door to the music room to get one last bit of practice in. The song he and Lightning would be singing was a duet. Lightning on the piano and Callen on the guitar. Though he tried to hide it Callen seemed nervous about it. Glorfindel had heard Lightning practice her bit on the piano many times over the last weeks, though she would always kick him out when it came time to practice her vocal part. Truthfully he just enjoyed the peace and tranquility of her playing the piano in the soundproof room. The door locked from the inside so there was no chance of distractions.

"Is that you Guy?" Linda called from within the kitchen.

"Yes it is" Glorfindel didn't know why he felt so nervous coming into the house. He had been here countless times with Lightning.

"Bill is in the TV room" Linda didn't emerge from the kitchen.

Glorfindel made his way to the TV room. It was more like a cinema room, about the only thing that was extravagant in the house. Lightning referred to it as the 'Man Cave' always with a roll of her eyes. The room has reclining lounge chairs with cup holders in front of a ridiculous large television screen. All in HD with the latest surround system. The entire room was enclosed so no sunlight would interfere with the TV. The whole outfit was completed with a small bar fridge between two of the chairs.

In front of it sat Bill McKenzie with a beer in his hand, his eyes glued to the racing channel. Without a word Glorfindel sat next to him and helped himself to a beer from the fridge. He had quickly learnt that there was no talking to the man while there was a horse race on. Greyhounds and commercial breaks were the only time to get his attention. As soon as the race was over he hit the mute button.

"One of the horses I bred, not a bad run" he offered as an explanation.

"I imagine it would be hard not to find at least one of your horses you bred running somewhere at any given time" Glorfindel chuckled. He had learnt from Lightning early on the extent of her parents breeding empire. With 15 stallions standing at stud they easily bred 300 foals a year for themselves. A good percentage of them were sold at young horse sales, but they kept the majority of them to race themselves. Those that were too slow were re-homed through Lightning and Callen or a small network of trainers they knew. Any horse that had a long career with them retired to a life of luxury.

"You'd be surprised" Bill chuckled back "Are those girls back yet?"

"No, last I saw of them Lightning was tearing down one of the back paddocks with Hannah clinging onto her for dear life" Glorfindel frowned slightly. Although he trusted Lightning impeccably he'd hate for her or Hannah to have an accident the night before the wedding.

"It's either no fear or no brains" Bill shook his head "I don't know how many times as a kid Lightning would flip that bloody quad bike tearing around on it."

Before Glorfindel could reply the races came back on. Without a word Bill flicked it off mute and stared at the screen intently. Glorfindel lent back in his chair and savoured a long sip of beer enjoying the peaceful moment. He took a good long look at Bill out of the corner of his eye.

It was maddening to look at a face that had bare traces of familiarity. There were times he could almost put his finger on it. Then the man would do an expression with his face that would swat all thoughts away. Sometimes there would be the carefree yet stubborn look of a Rohirrim warrior and just something else that he could not place. It wasn't surprising to even think this man look a bit Rohirrim, His natural affinity with horses was enough to confirm that. Yet the rest still remained a mystery. Trying not to huff a sigh of annoyance Glorfindel tried to pay attention to the race. This time it was a harness race in New Zealand. The starting mobile hadn't even started when a shriek of indigence broke through the house.

"Lightning Ella McKenzie and Hannah Monica Longdon get out of this house this instant!" Linda's voice could be heard clear as day to Glorfindel. Even Bill winced at the sound of it.

Both Elf and Man got up to look at the disturbance. Even from down the hallway the sound of uncontrollable laughter could be heard. Glorfindel was the first to reach the back sliding door and he burst into laughter the second he saw the scene.

Lightning and Hannah were both covered from head to toe in mud laughing hysterically. Fox was jumping up and down on the tiles sending drops of mud everywhere. The mud was coated on the pair so thickly it was sliding off their clothes in places. Fox looked like a mud ball with only his face being somewhat clean.

"Guy my darling boyfriend" Lightning said with a grin on his face. She opened her arms for a hug but Glorfindel side stepped around her instantly.

"No way, go jump in the pool first" Glorfindel held up his arms as if to shield himself while still laughing.

"Good idea" Hannah said. She grabbed Lightning's arm and the pair ran out to the pool still laughing hysterically. Shrieks could be heard as they dove into the freezing water. It left Fox sitting on the tiles wagging his tail with his tongue hanging out looking at Glorfindel. With perfect timing he managed to rub himself against his legs and leave dirty paw prints all over his socks. He left a streak of black mud and red fur all over his jeans.

"Thank you Fox, you can go from a swim with your mum" Glorfindel grumbled as he picked up the small dog. Holding him at arms length he walked out to the pool where Lightning and Hannah were having a water fight.

"Give your dog a bath as well" Glorfindel said. Fox didn't need any encouragement, as soon as he was close enough to the pool he wriggled out of Glorfindel's arms and jumped into the water. He swam over to Lightning who had her arms open for him.

Dinner was a quiet affair when Callen finally emerged from the music room. A glass of wine later Hannah decided to get an early night. Linda and Bill both went to bed straight after Hannah and Callen took a phone call which led him to the privacy of his room. Lightning couldn't help but try and eavesdrop on who her twin was talking to but she had no luck. Fox decided to follow Callen into his room, leaving Glorfindel and Lightning alone. As soon as all the respective doors were shut Lightning jumped to her feet.

"I have an idea" she grinned pulling Glorfindel up "Lets grab a picnic blanket first and another bottle of wine."

Glorfindel grabbed the wine from the fridge while Lightning dug around in the cupboard for the picnic blanket. When they emerged with both Lightning grabbed Glorfindel's hand and led him out into the night. It was cold, yet neither of them felt it. A new moon was out giving the property an ethereal glow. At 9pm at night everything was silent. The horses were fed and bedded down hours ago. The workers that lived on the property would all either be asleep or at the pub drinking away their pay checks. Lightning took his hand and led him through the lane ways down to one of the back paddocks. It was a good 10 minute walk and there was a comfortable silence as they went.

Finally Lightning opened the gate to the paddock her and Hannah had started their mud fight in.

"This was one of my favourite spots when I was younger to escape from everything" Lightning smiled at the memories floating in her head "I wanted to show you it for awhile now but we've just been too busy. And it's so clear tonight after all the rain."

She led him to a spot just above the creek bed and laid the blanket out. A frost had already started to settle on the ground so the blanket provided them with enough protection. Lightning lay back with her head resting on her arms staring up at the stars. Glorfindel did the same and couldn't help but let a sad smile rest on his lips for the briefest moment.

How he suddenly ached to be able to tell Lightning everything. To point out the stars that were once known by other names. To show her the beauty of Imlardris and all that her true heritage held.

"I never paid much attention to the stars when I was in Kentucky" Lightning said almost wishfully "They were so covered by light it made them hard to see, now I wish I could have seen them to see the difference."

"Then you'll have to come home with me for a holiday" Glorfindel turned his head to smile at her "Where I live is so far from anything all you can see if stars."

"After Christmas?" Lightning asked "Mum will kill us if we don't spend Christmas at home and competition season is over then."

Glorfindel couldn't help but chuckle slightly. He could image facing the wrath of Lightning's mother and it would not be pretty. But his heart also leapt at Lightning's casual acceptance.

"Of course."

Silence stretched between them as they both gazed up at the stars. Lightning's breath misted in the air as she blew out a breath. It was bitingly cold yet neither of them felt any discomfort. As she did when she was a child she traced out the constellations with her fingers.

"That's the Milky Way" Lightning murmured her fingers tracing the sky "And the southern cross, Orion's belt."

Lightning voice trailed off as Glorfindel's fingers twined into her own.

"Show me some more, everything is different here" he asked lowly.

Lightning couldn't help but smile as she moved both their hands.

"Venus, beta and alpha Centauri" her fingers traced the night sky. She then dropped their hands with a low chuckle.

"That's about the extent of my knowledge, Callen knows more. When we were little he wanted to be an Astronaut so he learnt all the stars. He was sorely disappointed to find out Australia didn't actually have Astronauts."

"Oh really?" Glorfindel chuckled with her "And what did you want to be when you were little?"

"A jockey of course" Lightning moved to rest her head on Glorfindel's chest "That all got quickly squashed when I hit about 11 years old and shot up 4 inches. What about you?"

"A knight rescuing damels in distress from high towers" Glorfindel said seriously though the question made him frown slightly. It was never a question anyone had asked him. Until Gondolin had been sacked the only responsibility he had was to take a military command. It was excepted of him, he never had a choice in the matter. Not that back then he would have questioned it. Yet things these days were so different. It made him wonder how different things might have been if he were born a mortal man in these times. Free to choose your own path, not bound by duty or family.

"How adorable, did you ride around on a stick horse with a wooden sword?" Lightning giggled.

"Bow and arrow actually" Glorfindel squeezed her shoulders slightly. Lightning casually threw her leg over his and snuggled into him close. Silence stretched out between them for a long while. Glorfindel glanced down to make sure Lightning hadn't fallen asleep. But she hadn't. She was simply staring up at the crystal clear night sky.

"I always felt at peace being out here staring up at the stars" Lightning finally said softly "No matter how stressed out I was about things I felt like my soul was revitalised when I spent time doing this. Does that sound silly?"

Of course it doesn't, you're an Elf. Glorfindel thought but held his tongue.

"No of course it doesn't sound silly, everyone has their own way of getting rid of stress in their lives."

"I'm nervous for Hannah tomorrow" Lightning said suddenly completely changing the subject "She's dreamt of this wedding since we were kids and I'd hate for anything to go wrong."

"It won't" Glorfindel said quickly "No matter what happens she is marrying the man she loves. Everything else is a minor detail."

His words felt like they echoed back to an eternity ago. To a closed door back in Minas Tirith where Arwen was pacing and wringing her hands in nerves. Elladan and Elorhir mirrored her footsteps trying to soothe their sister's distress. Arwen was a nervous wreck over every minor detail to do with her wedding. She was fussing over the flowers that were woven into her hair. Glorfindel had finally grasped both her hands to stop her pacing and said to her the same thing he had just told Lightning. He could still smell the fresh elanor blossoms in her hair. He could still feel the dry heat of the Gondor summer.

"Guy?" Lightning asked breaking him from his thoughts.

"Hmm?" Glorfindel glanced down to meet her eyes. Lightning was looking up at him with a slightly bemused expression.

"Are you going to come back to the present time?"

"Sorry" Glorfindel chuckled "I got lost in a memory."

"I could tell" Lightning said as she snuggled back down into his chest. He automatically tightened his grip on her.

"Are you going to tell me what it was?"

Glorfindel let out a soft sigh. Of course Lightning was going to ask that. He racked his mind quickly for the easiest explanation of what he was just thinking about.

"Dan and Rohin's sisters wedding, I think I said the same thing to her" Glorfindel smiled sadly.

"I didn't know they had a sister" Lightning frowned.

"They did, she died quite young in an accident" Glorfindel corrected her "Along with her husband."

"That's sad" Lightning said softly "I never knew."

"They rarely speak of her, the memory is still painful even though it was a long time ago" Glorfindel said. There was a few moments of silence before Lightning spoke again.

"My parents, well my biological parents were killed in an accident when Callen and I were only a few months old. Mum and Dad were their oldest friends so they adopted us."

Glorfindel couldn't help but start at the comment. He didn't except to hear that comment come from her mouth. Lightning felt his jump of surprise and peeked up through her lashes.

"Didn't you know we were adopted?"

"Yes I knew" Glorfindel swallowed down the line of questions he wanted to throw at her and went for a more simple approach "Dan has a rather unusual habit of doing background checks on anyone he wants to go into business with."

To his relief Lightning snorted with laughter.

"So does my Father."

"Oh?" Glorfindel lifted an eyebrow and glanced down at her.

"He ran one on you" Lightning giggled softly "He told me you were a charmer, a ladies man and I should run away as fast as I can."

"Did he now?" Glorfindel joined in her chuckles "So why are you still here?"

"Isn't it in a daughter's nature to always date the man her parents don't like?"

"Ah and here I was thinking I was sweeping you off your feet in a whirlwind romance, but you are simply with me to annoy your parents" Glorfindel put on a look of fake hurt which made Lightning giggle even more.

"Well it has certainly been a whirlwind" Lightning said as she settled back down into his arms "You have spoilt me quite thoroughly and I have to admit I am getting quite used to it."

Glorfindel felt a rush of happiness at her words. Lightning was rarely this open with her thoughts and feelings. He took a brave step into probing into her past. One he hadn't dared to take until now.

"Do you remember anything about your parents?"

"No" the reply was instant with a shrug of her shoulders "We were too young to have any real memories of them, I had a photo of them but I don't know where I put it. The only thing I can remember is a silly little lullaby Dad used to hum to calm Callen down when we were tiny."

Almost absently Lightning begin to hum to the tune. It was an Elven lullaby, one parents sang to their children. Glorfindel felt his heart ache slightly to hear something from the past living in the memory of this half Elven girl. When Lightning finished she looked up at him almost shyly with a silly smile on her face.

"Just a silly lullaby" Lightning said almost absently.

"A beautiful memory" Glorfindel smiled tenderly down at her "It almost reminds me of the entry music to your freestyle with Beau."

"Oh that's just from a movie that was made from some book" Lightning frowned "Just something pretty and it matches the lightness in his gaits."

Glorfindel could see an expression of doubt cross over her face. One that tugged right down to her inner psyche that something else caused her to choose that certain piece of music. But she couldn't place it at all. As quick as it appeared Lightning smoothed her face over to a neutral expression.

"It's a prayer to old gods" Glorfindel felt the words tumble out before he could stop them. Lying beneath the stars tonight made his heart ache from old memories.

"Oh Elbereth Starkindler, white glittering, slanting down sparkling like a jewel to glory of the starry host. Having gazed far away from the tree woven lands of Middle Earth to thee, Everwhite, I will sing on this side of the sea, here on this side of the Ocean."

Glorfindel found he had to swallow heavily to stop the emotions that came bubbling to the surface from spilling over. How many centuries had it been since he had uttered that prayer? How many years had it been since he had even thought about the Valar? For an instant he felt the image of Varda herself flash in his mind with a beautiful smile.

"That's much more beautiful than I had imaged it would ever be" Lighting laughed almost breathlessly "I never picked you as the type to remember something like that from a book."

"I have a great love for all old and beautiful things" Glorfindel kissed Lightning's forehead tenderly "When we go for our holiday I will show you my ridiculous collections I have acquired over the years."

"Like?" Lightning asked.

"A 12th century Quran" Glorfindel had to rack his memory for a moment "An Italian plate armour made in 1450, various old weapons, tapestry, pieces of art. I have a silk kimono from the 1800's that would probably fit you perfectly."

"And now you have horses chewing up your bank account" Lightning chuckled.

"And now I have happiness" Glorfindel corrected her "Not meaningless pieces of old relics that gather dust in glass display cabinets."

"Those relics would have made you happy for a time" Lightning pursed his lips suddenly "It makes me wonder how long this will make you happy?"

The words were like a slap across the face for Glorfindel. He frowned deeply and pulled Lightning up so they were sitting across from each other. Without waiting for her to protest he pulled her into his lap and clung to her as if life depended on it. He grasped her face with both hands and stared into her eyes. Lightning swallowed deeply at the look on his face. It seemed to bore into her very soul. She could feel her own heart hammering in her chest. Her mind went completely blank of anything to say.

"You make me happy" Glorfindel said roughly "And if the day comes I no longer continue to make you happy then I will leave, but not until you tell me to do so."

"Guy" Lightning began but Glorfindel put a finger over her lips to silence her.

"I know you have been hurt deeply and if I ever see Craig I'm not sure if I will kill him for hurting you so badly or thank him for being such a fool for throwing a precious gem like you away" Glorfindel kept his finger on her mouth so she wouldn't speak "Tell me what truly happened between you two to cause you such anguish."

It came out more forcefully than Glorfindel intended. He meant it as a question but it came out as a demand. He dropped his finger from her lips and looked into her eyes deeply. What he didn't except was a single tear to slip down Lightning's face unexpectedly. He felt his heart constrict slightly at that tear. He never wanted to cause her any pain. Glorfindel opened his mouth to apologise but Lightning spoke first.

"He was one of Dad's head track riders" Lightning said haltingly before taking a deep breath "Callen had fallen off and fractured his wrist not long before a major competition. He would have been fine to compete but Bobby is very strong to gallop and I couldn't hang onto him. Yarry always needed someone to gallop with otherwise he got bored and lagged along which was terrible for his fitness. I asked Dad if he knew someone we could trust to come and gallop Bobby with me twice a week and he chose Craig. Dad was always very strict with the staff not flirting with me, and probably more strict with me not flirting with the staff. So it had to be someone he trusted to not get involved with me, or me with them."

Glorfindel couldn't help but let out a small chuckle before Lightning continued.

"So Craig was coming to our place in what started with just galloping Bobby, he was an excellent rider and it helped out us immensely. After the first 2 weeks he started to hang back afterwards asking if I needed a hand with anything else. With Cal having a busted wrist I was doing all the heavy work myself and it really was just a blessing in disguise that he'd help me do stables and feeds. He never showed any inclination that there was an interest in me until one afternoon in the stables."

Lightning frowned heavily at the memory but continued.

"He had come into Beau's stable to ask if I wanted anything else done before he left. Beau charged at him unexpectedly and bit him quite hard on the shoulder. Hard enough to draw blood and leave quite a mark behind. After much swearing and me yelling at Beau, I sat Craig down in the tack room to patch it up before he could get it seen to by a doctor. I don't really remember how it happened but he kissed me" Lightning broke off with a pained laugh "It was silly really, but he had broken it off as quickly as it started apologising profusely. After that it was almost alluring and a game to try and get him to do it again. It took a week and I had basically dragged him into our old truck and stripped off naked so he wouldn't say no."

Glorfindel fought back the biting jealousy that was clawing at his soul at the moment. He knew it was ridiculous, their relationship was long over but he hated the idea of another man touching her.

"We kept it a secret for awhile, it was exciting and like nothing I had ever had before, until Callen walked in on us one day. He had disliked Craig from the moment he met him and actually went and told Dad. Who in return was furious at me and ready to kill Craig. But Craig assured him that he had nothing to fear as he'd loved me from the day he first met me. He proposed not long after that and I was smitten. It sounds silly now but he really did treat me like a princess, I thought he was my knight in shining armour coming to sweep me off my feet. We got married quickly and that's when it started to fall apart. He wanted me to stay home from all the competing I was doing. I was so close to being long listed for Kentucky, I had basically laughed in his face."

Lightning took a deep breath, a frown crossing her face.

"We screamed at each other so loudly, Callen had to step in between us to break it up. Looking back now alarm bells should have been going off in my head, but stupid me didn't think anything was wrong. That night Craig had rolled over into me and whispered he was sorry and it was just that he wanted to start a family with me right away and we couldn't with all the time away I was spending. It was then when I told him I didn't want to start a family anytime soon that things started to get worse. We would argue constantly over small things, especially money. He hated how much money I poured into competing and how broke it always left me. He started spending more and more time away from home and I was never suspicious. I was always too busy to even notice to be honest. It wasn't until Callen and I had packed the truck to go to Sydney that I had found his phone laying on the bed unlocked. It was never unlocked and there was an unread message on it, from his girlfriend."

The bitterness in her voice was unmistakable. Glorfindel squeezed her hand tightly as a silent urge to continue.

"The message said 'The test said yes!' and I went through his other messages. There was a lot of them and it wasn't until Callen came to find me that it had actually sunk in. Our entire relationship had been a lie, he was simply using me to try and gain a better foothold at work and waiting out the 6 months of our relationship so he could get a good divorce settlement to set up he and his girlfriend. She had just found out she was pregnant. I cried my heart out all the way to Sydney. I nearly pulled out of the competition but I struggled through it. Strangely enough I won the event with Callen barely half a penalty behind me. What Craig didn't know is Callen had been very suspicious from the first day and had quietly arranged everything in his name. So he was getting nothing, except for Beau and Yarraman. It was a bit of an oversight on both of us forgetting that they were the only ones registered under my name solely as the owner. It was the only thing he could go for and he did. The only saving grace was that after Sydney we had been named on the short list and guaranteed a spot for Kentucky. It was in my rider's contract that neither horse could be sold until then."

"Yet if he had not we wouldn't be sitting here together" Glorfindel broke in gently. He reached up and brushed her cheek tenderly "If I could take away the pain he caused you I would."

"Maybe you can just punch him in the face then" Lighting laughed shakily breaking the somber mood "Though my twin would not confirm it I have a feeling that it was his doing when Craig got bucked off at work and fractured 2 vertebrae. It was just before we left for Kentucky and straight afterwards I got papers from his lawyer trying to hurry the divorce through."

Glorfindel couldn't help but snort in amusement. Lightning shot him a thoughtful look which Glorfindel simply plastered an innocent smile on his face.

"Fuck it all Callen, I knew it!" Lightning grumbled "I suppose I should thank him."

"He only told me as a threat not to hurt you" Glorfindel said "This was back in Kentucky when you had taken Beau back to the stables after he hurt himself."

"Doesn't that feel like a lifetime ago" Lightning said sigh a small sigh "Thing's have changed a lot since then."

"For the better I hope?" Glorfindel asked.

"Much better" Lightning smiled tracing her fingers along his face. Strangely enough she did feel better after talking about Craig. She hadn't ever gone into the detail with anyone else like she had just done. Of course Hannah and Callen both knew the general gist of the story and most parts of it but she had never spoken about it as a whole. Or in such great detail. Suddenly she felt brave, for the first time in a very long time. She switched off her brain and let her heart tumble out words she never would have let go in the first place.

"Guy, the night of the reunion I had a dream" Lightning said softly.

Lightning could feel him stiffen slightly underneath her. Yet he put a beautiful smile on his face and cocked his eyebrow.

"You quite often dream" Glorfindel said lightly "I quite like those dreams where you're moaning my name and then wake up throwing me back on the bed and having your way with me."

Lightning smacked him lightly on the chest but couldn't help but laugh herself. Once their laughter died down Lightning found herself being serious again.

"I dreamt that you said you loved me."

"Hmmm is that so?" Glorfindel said with a lazy smile gracing his handsome face. Although he tried to hide it he could feel his heart pounding in his own chest with those words slipping past her lips. Lightning bit her lip and debated whether to continue or not. Perhaps she was being silly, after all it was only a dream.

"And what if I told you that wasn't a dream?" Glorfindel asked softly.

Lightning felt her heart skip a beat.

"Then I would say we are both crazy" Lightning said just as softly "Crazy fools in love."

"That we are Lightning" Glorfindel felt a grin creep onto his face.

"It still scares the hell out of me" Lightning said softly. She dropped her eyes and began tracing idle patterns on Glorfindel's shirt. Cool fingers reached under her chin and tipped her eyes up to meet Glorfindel's.

"It scares me too" he admitted with a wry grin "Never in my life have I felt this way Lightning, I know it's only been a short time but you make me feel like no other ever has before. You have my heart and my soul."

Lightning let out a shaky breath she didn't realise she had been holding. A great weight finally felt like it had been lifted off her shoulders.

"And you have mine" she said softly. As soon as the words left her mouth she found herself being kissed fiercely. She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung onto him like he was the only thing holding her in this world. When they finally broke the kiss neither of them spoke for a long time. They just sat together in each other's arms under the brightly shining stars.

"We should head back, I think Hannah well be upset with me if I ruin her wedding photos with dark circles under my eyes" Lightning laughed lightly. Truthfully she didn't want anything to break the moment they were having under the stars.

"Of course" Glorfindel kissed her lightly again before untangling himself. He helped Lightning to her feet and embraced her tightly. Lightning sighed into his chest and let the feeling of peace wash over her.

"I do have a question though" Glorfindel asked while stroking her hair gently.

"Of course" Lightning said.

"I haven't been able to find one wedding photo of yours" Glorfindel said as Lightning pulled back to look at him first in confusion, then a wicked smile played over her lips.

"That's because Callen and I burnt them" Lightning chuckled "It was very soothing watching them go up in flames. I did the same with my wedding dress and anything to do with him."

Glorfindel couldn't help but chuckle with her.

**Authors Note**

**Well for once I have updated fairly quickly! I hope everyone liked it. The story is fairly slow moving for a little bit while Glorfindel and Lightning fumble around with their feelings. Lots of drama and anguish to follow on soon. I can promise that!**


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